Radical Science

In this episode Gemma chats to Adrian Daub about his latest book What Tech Calls Thinking: An Inquiry into the Intellectual Bedrock of Silicon Valley.

Adrian Daub is a professor of comparative literature and German studies at Stanford University, and the director of Stanford’s Program in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

• What Tech Calls Thinking (FSGO x Logic)
• @adriandaub

In this episode we chat to Lee Vinsel and Andrew Russell authors of The Innovation Delusion (2020), where they take on 'innovation speak' and advocate for a greater focus on what keeps the world  going - maintenance. Interview starts ~20min mark.

Lee Vinsel is a Professor ub the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at Virginia Tech.

Andrew Russell is a Professor of History and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

• The Innovation Delusion
• Lee Vinsel / @STS_News
• Andrew Russell  / @RussellProf
• The Maintainers

@radicalscipod / @lawrenceyolland / @gemmamilne

In this episode we chat to writer and science historian Audra Wolfe about organised labour, constructing a union for scientists, and the myth of apolitical science.

Audra's writing has appeared in the Washington Post and The Atlantic. She is the author of Freedom's Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science and the award winning Competing With the Soviets: Science, Technology, and the State in Cold War America.

• Audra Wolfe @ColdWarScience
• Never Just Science newsletter
• audrajwolfe.com
• Freedom's Laboratory (JHU Press)
• Competing with the Soviets (JHU Press)
• The Great Google Revolt |  NYT Mag
• SciAm endorsement
• Nature endorsement

@lawrenceyolland / @gemmamilne / @radicalscipod

In this episode we chat to Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West authors of Calling Bullshit: The Art of Scepticism in Data-Driven World.

Carl Bergstrom is a theoretical and evolutionary biologist and Professor of Biology at the University of Washington.

Jevin West is an Associate Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, he also co-founded the DataLab and directs the Center for an Informed Public.

Show notes:

• @CT_Bergstrom
• @jevinwest / jevinwest.org
• Calling Bullshit (Allen Lane - 2020)
• Calling Bullshit Course

@lawrenceyolland / @gemmamilne / @radicalscipod

In this episode we chat to Richard Ovenden OBE, author of Burning the Books: A History of Knowledge Under Attack!

Richard is the Bodley's Librarian at the University of Oxford, and is the the 25th person to hold this post since its creation in 1600. 

• Burning the Books (2020)
• Richard's Twitter
• Richard's article in The Economist on preserving digital information

In this episode we chat to Kat Arney author of Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution and the Science of Life.

*episode starts around the 12 minute mark.

• Rebel Cell
• Kat's Twitter
• Gemma's Moonshot article

In this episode we chat to Stuart Ritchie author of Science Fictions: Exposing Fraud, Bias, Negligence and Hype in Science! We return to the roots of our podcast and explore the flaws in science and what actions can be taken to make it better.

Stuart is a lecturer at King's College London within the Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre with interests in meta-science. 

The interview starts around the 11 minute mark. 

• @StuartRitchie
• Science Fictions Book

In this episode we chat to Akshat Rathi an energy and climate reporter at Bloomberg. He is also the editor of United we are Unstoppable, the topic of this episode, a collection of 60 inspiring stories from young climate activists across the globe.

• Twitter
• United we are Unstoppable
• Akshat's Bloomberg writing

In this episode we talk to economist Rob Larson about the immense power of the big 5 tech companies (even if in the intro I say big 4...sorry Microsoft), the economics of how they got to be so big, the tyrannical rulers at the helm, and the perverse business practices that insure them against competition.

Rob is a Professor of Economics at Tacoma Community College and author of Capitalism vs. Freedom (2018), and Bit Tyrants (2020). He also writes for venues such as Jacobin and Current Affairs.

• Twitter
• Bit Tyrants
• Rob's Jacobin / Current Affairs Writing
• Left Book Club

In this episode Gemma chats to journalist and author Tim Maughan. Tim’s first novel Infinite Detail (2019) which tells a dystopic time-shifting tale of the pre and post-apocalypse following the global technological shutdown was selected by The Guardian as their Science Fiction and Fantasy book of the year.

(The episode starts at 13.45)

• Infinite Detail
• Tim's writing / projects.
• Twitter
• Guardian Best Fantasy / Sci Fi books 2019.
• Could we blow up the Internet? (Motherboard)