The Unraveling Thread

By Light Knot Studios / LinkedByte Corporation

We are living in the cracks. The stories dominating today's headlines — the sudden outbreak of violence, the shocking policy shift, the community pushed to the brink — are not isolated events. They

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FAQs about The Unraveling Thread:

How many episodes does The Unraveling Thread have?

The podcast currently has 6 episodes available.

The Unraveling Thread episodes:

February 26, 2026 The Pension Gamble: How Your Retirement Fund is Fueling the Next Housing Crash
Your teacher's pension is betting on your landlord. Public pension funds, desperate for returns, have become the largest investors in risky, algorithmically-managed single-family home rentals. We investigate this dangerous feedback loop, where retirement security for millions is tied to inflating housing costs for everyone.
We track capital from a firefighter's pension contribution to a Wall Street-backed property acquisition in Phoenix. Discover the fragile foundation of this modern gold rush and what happens when the bubble in the bedrock of the economy—a home—inevitably pops.
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7min
February 25, 2026 Sanctuary in the Server Farm: How Tech Giants Exploit Diplomatic Law
When a social media company's data center was declared "sovereign territory" by a small island nation, it exposed a new frontier: digital embassies. We investigate how tech corporations are using archaic diplomatic protocols to shield data from regulation, taxes, and law enforcement.
Tracing this legal loophole from a Caribbean atoll to boardrooms in Silicon Valley, we explore the rise of "corporate sovereignty." Can a server farm have more legal protection than the citizens whose data it holds? The answer is reshaping global power.
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8min
February 24, 2026 The Loyalty Trap: How Supermarket Cards Built the Ultimate Surveillance Panopticon
That "10% off" card in your wallet is one of the most powerful surveillance tools ever created. We deconstruct how loyalty programs map not just your purchases, but your health, relationships, financial stress, and political leanings—then sell that prediction of *you* to the highest bidder.
We follow the data trail from a grocery checkout to a hedge fund's trading algorithm and a political consultancy's micro-targeting model. Learn how this intimate portrait is used to manipulate prices, influence votes, and exploit personal crises.
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7min
February 23, 2026 Ghost Factories: The Invisible Network of Automated Labor
They operate 24/7 with no lunch breaks, unions, or windows. "Lights-out" manufacturing is here. We enter a fully automated factory and examine the cascading societal impact: not just job loss, but the erosion of entire towns built around shift changes, diners, and school schedules.
This isn't just about robots. It's about the new class of remote technicians, the energy grids straining to power perpetual production, and the geopolitical tension as nations race to automate first. What happens to a society when the factory whistle goes silent forever?
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8min
February 22, 2026 The Water Barons: Privatization, Profits, and the Global Crisis of Thirst
As reservoirs run dry, a handful of multinational corporations are turning water scarcity into a multi-billion dollar market. We investigate the quiet acquisition of municipal water systems, the rise of "water futures" trading, and the political lobbying that treats a human right as a financial asset.
From a bankrupt city in the American Midwest to a drought-stricken province in South Africa, we follow the money pipeline. Discover how communities are fighting back with public trusts and the legal concept of "water sovereignty."
Hosted by Ibnul Jaif Farabi, produced by Light Knot Studios (https://www.lightknotstudios.com/).
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9min
February 21, 2026 The Algorithmic Ghetto: How Digital Redlining Reinforces Segregation
In the 21st century, segregation no longer requires "Whites Only" signs. It's enforced by lines of code. This episode investigates how algorithms used in housing, banking, and advertising silently sort people by race and income, creating digital barriers as rigid as any physical wall. We trace a single data point—a ZIP code—as it travels from a credit application to a predatory loan offer to an exclusionary ad for a luxury apartment. You'll hear from data scientists who've audited these opaque systems and community organizers fighting for algorithmic transparency. Hosted by Ibnul Jaif Farabi, produced by Light Knot Studios (https://www.lightknotstudios.com/).
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7min

FAQs about The Unraveling Thread:

How many episodes does The Unraveling Thread have?

The podcast currently has 6 episodes available.