Think: Digital Futures

When City of Melbourne launched the Urban Forest Visual strategy to gather data on the city's 77,000 trees, something happened they didn't plan for. In an attempt to engage the community in the data collection process, they added an email function so residents could notify the council if a tree needed help. Instead, the council received an outpouring of love letters, drawings and tributes to the urban environment.

So they decided to write back...

This is the first half of a two-part episode viewing nature through the digital lens. How is technology changing our understanding of the world around us?

Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Producer: Miles P Herbert

Speakers:

Councillor Cathy Oke, City of Melbourne

Jeremy Walker, Lecturer in Environment, Culture and Society at the University of Technology Sydney

http://melbourneurbanforestvisual.com.au/

From robots in the classroom to apps that track your pre-schooler's every move, this episode explores the ways technology is integrating into the school environment. What role can tech take on in the classroom, and could they one day do a better job than humans?

Producers/Presenters: Cheyne Anderson & Jason L'Ecuyer

Speakers:

Mark Woodland, CEO of Xplor

Nour Azar, new parent

Damien Maher, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education at University of Technology Sydney

Muneeb Ahmad, PhD student at Western Sydney University

Kiera (year 5) & Desharn (year 7), test subjects

It's 2SER's Supporter Drive so we're replaying some of our favourite stories from this season. We're also asking our listeners to call us on 95149500 or head to 2ser.com/donate to support independent journalism and help keep us on air.

Traditionally, democracy and technological innovation went hand in hand. In the 19th century, the printing press let the public share their views for the first time. In the 20th century, television and radio helped news spread across the globe. But in the 21st century, social media is opening the floodgates for an age of information overload. Can a healthy democracy still operate in 140 characters or less?

Producers/Presenters: Cheyne Anderson & Miles P Herbert

Speakers:

Emma Balfour, Honours student at the University of Sydney

Carl Rhodes, Professor of Organizational Studies at the University of Technology Sydney

Jonathan Marshall, Research Fellow at the University of Technology Sydney

Daya Thussu, Professor of International Communication at the University of Westminster

It's 2SER's Supporter Drive so for the next two weeks you'll be hearing some of our highlights from the year so far. In the meantime, we're asking listeners to make a donation to keep us on air. Go to 2ser.com/donate to support community radio.

Close your eyes. What can you hear? Our sense of hearing is often overlooked but our ears are capable of communicating information to us in ways we don't even realise are happening.

The growing field of sonification is all about harnessing our sense of hearing. An increasing number of artists, researchers and storytellers are using sonification to challenge the ways we imagine our future.

Originally aired: 14/8/2017

Presenter/Producer: Cheyne Anderson

Speakers:

Gail Priest, Sound Artist

Mark O'Connor, Learning Technologist at the University of Technology Sydney

Leah Borromeo, co-founder Climate Symphony

Katherin Round, co-founder Climate Symphony

Jamie Perera, co-founder Climate Symphony

Martin Keary, Youtuber "Tantacrul"

There's a growing movement of people who want to harness the technological revolution in order to push our minds and bodies beyond biological limitations. They're called "transhumanists" and their aim is humble: digital immortality.

Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Speakers: Meow Ludo, founder of Bio-foundry

Peter Xing, co-founder Transhumanism Australia

Avinash Singh, PhD Researcher at the University of Technology Sydney

We're in the middle of a "Bitcoin boom". The price of the digital currency is shooting past the price of gold. And it's not the only cryptocurrency having a moment with Ethereum even beating Bitcoin for steepest rise in value. But despite all the hype around cyrptocurrencies, you still can't buy a pizza with them. At least, not in Sydney anyway. Will the influence of Bitcoin ever break out of tech circles and seep into the "real" world? How can Bitcoin change our day to day lives? 

Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Speakers: 

Dr Philippa Ryan, Barrister and Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney

Chris Duckett, APAC Editor of ZDNet

Harley Jones, Snake Catcher

Our lives are increasingly being lived on the internet. Everything from social interaction, buying groceries, to committing crimes now happens online. Today's show examines how the digital age has transformed not just how people commit crimes, but how forensic scientists, police, and citizens are turning to the internet to seek justice outside the traditional criminal justice system.

Producer/Presenter: Miles P Herbert

Speakers:

Layla Betts: Reddit Moderator

Claude Roux: Professor of Forensic Science and the founding Director of the UTS Centre for Forensic Science

Peter Price: CEO of Crimestoppers NSW

Michael Salter: Senior Lecturer In Criminology, Western Sydney University

With commercial space flights fast becoming a reality, there's every chance you might travel to outer space in your lifetime.  But we are boldly going where humans aren't supposed to go. At least, not from a medical standpoint. From brittle bones to flat eyes, this episode is about all the terrifying impacts of space travel on the human body. 

Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Speakers: 

Joshua Chou, Director of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Technology Sydney

Nial Wheate, Pharmaceutical Chemist at the University of Sydney

We often hear about the need to close the "digital divide" in Australia - that is, the gulf between those who are digitally included and those who are not. But when we picture the divide this way we lose sight of the myriad of cultural, economic and political issues that prevent people in Australia from participating in the digital sphere. These are problems that the NBN alone can't fix. So, it's time to re-frame the debate. This episode features two conversations that challenge our assumptions about digital access in remote Indigenous communities and among detainees at Villawood Detention Centre.

Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Speakers:

Laurel Dyson, Honorary Associate at the School of Software at the University of Technology Sydney

Linda Leung, Associate Professor and Honorary Associate at the UTS Business School

From communications satellites to commercial space flights, our atmosphere is open for business. And with the space industry currently generating more money than some countries, everybody wants in on the action. Gone are the days of the Cold War-era space race, they've been replaced by a new generation of tech entrepreneurs. This "New Space" network of Silicon Valley visionaries dream of pushing the boundaries of human exploration in their aim of building a space utopia.

But are we really drawn to the wild frontiers of space "because it's there"? Or is it another resource for the ultra-rich to exploit for profit?

Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Speakers: Patrick Wang, CEO SpaceOps Australia

Matthew Johnson, PHD Candidate at the University of Technology Sydney

Professor Steven Freeland, Dean of the School of Law at Western Sydney University.