Shadow of the Valley

Between the COVD-19 Pandemic lockdown, demonstrations against anti-Black police violence, and a presidential election many Americans are more reliant on their digital identities and the platforms they live on than ever before. It's no secret that these identities and platforms don't always serve our best interests. So can we re-imagine a new way of using these tools, or are we stuck with the negatives?

Our guest, Erica Gionfriddo, explored these ideas with her dance troupe, ARCOS in 2019 and we sat down to talk about it that November. In the piece, entitled Ether Junk, they and their dancers dove into the treacherous psychological straits of identity performance through social media, only to turn it on its head and re-imagine what it could be instead.

For a review of Ether Junk and anti-racism resources please visit: https://shadowofthevalley.com/resources/

Ether Junk premiered at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center August 30–September 8, 2019 and was supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, presented with the support of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department's Artist Access Program. 

Performance by Celeste Camfield, Alexa Capareda, Ginnifer Joe,Hailley Laurèn, Sarah Annie Navarrete, Taryn Lavery, Mackenzie Lawrence, Rachel Meador, Mia Moi, Oddalys Salcido

Dramaturgy by Rachel Nayer and Erica Saucedo

Media by Eliot Gray Fisher

Choreography and Direction by Erica Gionfriddo

Intermedia Photo Installation by Carla Alcántara and Sarah Annie Navarrete

[Note: Due to the pandemic lockdown, I was unable to access my usual studio equipment to record the voiceovers. As a result, you may notice some variance in sound quality.]

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What it AI and what is it not? How does it work? Will it take your job? What ethical issues do they present? Are we ready for the ways AI will disrupt society? Charlie Burgoyne is here to help us sort it all out. Together, we’ll get a more technical look at the current state of Artificial Intelligence.

Charlie is the Founder and CEO of Valkyrie Intelligence, a Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning firm based in Austin, Texas. Valkyrie wields its expertise in applied physics, advanced mathematics, and machine learning to solve complex business problems for their clients. 

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Get an industry insider’s view into Artificial Intelligence with John King of SparkCognition, a global leader in Artificial Intelligence based in Austin, Texas.  We'll explore what it is and what it isn’t, how it works, whether or not it will will it take your job, and the opportunities and dangers they present in the near and long term. Of all the socially disruptive technologies out there, AI may be the biggest one of all. 

John King is the VP of Marketing and Communications at SparkCognition. SparkCognition uses their award-winning machine learning technology to help customers in defense, finance, and other industries analyze complex data and make better decisions. Prior to joining SparkCognition, John served as the Director of Clean Energy and Power Technology at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. 

If you’d like to learn more about Spark Cognition, please visit: sparkcognition.com, https://timemachine.ai/ or learn.sparkcognition.com/cognitivetimes 

Our theme music was generously provided by BIELE. You can find her at soundcloud and https://sarahbly.com/

Additional music was provided by Michael Garfield, host of the Future Fossils Podcast. You can also find him on Patreon and Bandcamp. 

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Ruben Cantu joins us to explore the value of diversity in the tech sector, ways to address tech-fueled income inequality, and why technology may be part of our ongoing evolution as human beings.

Ruben is one of Austin, Texas’ premiere Social Entrepreneurs. As the Founder and CEO of several media, marketing, and social good organizations, Ruben’s work aims to uplift overlooked communities, and provide them with the tools they need to thrive. He currently serves as the Director of Inclusive Innovation and Entrepreneurship at The University of Texas at Austin, as CEO of SocialGood.us and LevelUp Institute, and as founder of Core Media Enterprises.

Ruben's Creative Mornings talk

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Long-time author, activist, and web strategist and developer, Jon Lebkowsky joins us for a look at how the internet evolved to what it is today. We also look at how propaganda spreads and changes the nature of politics today.

Jon Lebkowsky has been managing technology projects and companies for over 25 years. His long resume includes projects with the likes of SXSW Interactive, EFF-Austin, Wired Magazine, Boing Boing, Mondo 2000, the Whole Earth Catalog, and Fringeware. He is currently focused on strategic digital consulting and development, as well as business vision and management. He is also known as an activist and writer/blogger focused on strategic foresight, Internet evolution, digital culture, cyber liberties, media, and society.

You can find him at weblogsky.com or plutopia.io

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Thanks for listening to Pilot Season of the show. Production for Season 2 is now underway, so be sure to check back soon. Check out our Medium Blog where you can find transcripts with links to anything we’ve referenced on the show. 

https://medium.com/@shadowofthevalleypodcast.

Facebook.com/ShadowOfTheValleyPodcast

Twitter: @ShadowValleyPod

Email: [email protected]

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Dr. Heather Barfield's award-winning, critically acclaimed work as a performer, director, producer, and writer combines digital and analog media. Her most recent works explored the ethics of digital privacy. 

Together, we’ll dive into her work: how she came up with her ideas, and what she learned along the way.

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Together, we’ll learn why net neutrality is so critical to free speech on the web, why farmers are downloading bootleg Ukranian software, and why you might be a cyborg without even realizing it.

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In this episode, I sit down with Daniel Roesler co-founder and CEO of UtilityAPI, an energy data software service based in the San Francisco Bay Area, who also volunteers for privacy advocacy group, Restore The Fourth. 

We’ll take a deep look at surveillance and data privacy, the threats they pose to clean energy, and the cybersecurity risks posed by companies who store personal data.

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