Think: Digital Futures

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.

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"

When William Butler invented one of the first electromagnetic stimulators in the 1880s, he was pretty chuffed. His unwieldy machine appeared to be a genius solution to help doctors struggling to keep up with the growing cases of hysteria - a chronic illness of distress peculiar to frustrated women. What he didn't realise at the time was that he had just invented one of the first vibrators. This vibrator was designed to allow doctors to give women the only known relief for hysteria - an orgasm. Since then, sex technology has evolved alongside our changing attitudes towards sexuality. And it's not just the act of being intimate that's changing, but the very ways we understand and express closeness.

Warning: Sexual content

Speakers:

Judith Glover - Research Design at RMIT

Tanya Koens - sexologist at Surrey Hills Therapy

Ross Dawson - futurist & entrepreneur

Paul Byron - Research Assistant at University of Technology Sydney

Kay - Max Black Newtown

With 830 million users worldwide, when a video goes viral on WeChat it really goes viral. Last year, a dark genre of videos featuring grisly accidents captured on CCTV spread across the app at lightning speed. What draws people to the spectacle of death? And how does the notoriously censor-heavy Chinese government respond to this?

This episode features a conversation with Professor Wanning Sun from the University of Technology Sydney, discussing the digital age in China and whether there's something fundamentally human about sharing images that shock us.

Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Speaker: Wanning Sun, Professor of Media and Communications at the University of Technology Sydney

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

Whether it's Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp or any combination of the above, social media apps are changing the way we relate to each other. So when all your friends (and enemies) can be reached at the touch of a button, is this bringing us closer or pushing us further apart? And what happens when our interactions turn bad?

Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Speakers:

Sally & Laura, social media users

Robyn Johns, Management Discipline Group at the University of Technology Sydney

Archie Boulter, Programs Director for Project Rockit

Guodong Long, Lecturer at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence at the University of Technology Sydney

In 2012, the Harvard Business Review called Data Science the 'Sexiest Job of the Century'. It's not hard to see why - data scientists are at the vanguard of the technological revolution. They're changing nearly every field and developing new ways of collecting and interpreting data at breakneck speed. But could they actually be making themselves obsolete?

Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Speakers:

Chengqi Zhang, Executive Director of Data Science at the University of Technology Sydney

Michael Blumenstein, Head of School of Software in the Faculty of Engineering & IT at the University of Technology Sydney

Anthony Tockar, Data Scientist at CBIG Consulting

Technology has opened up new possibilities for art to push the boundaries like never before. From an AI art blogger to intricate visualisations of our cellular structure, artists are embracing technology to challenge the way we see the world around us. We take a look at some of the stories from the intersection of science, technology and art.

Producers/Presenters: Cheyne Anderson & Joe Koning

Speakers:

Tom Lee - School of Design, University of Technology Sydney

Drew Berry - Biological Animator

Peter Johnson - Assistant Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art

With revolutions in gene editing technology, scientists are developing ways to wipe out out genetic diseases like cancer, and also opening up the possibility of editing for superpowers. In this episode, Cheyne Anderson speaks to biomedical engineer Joshua Chou about CRISPR-cas9, the secretive international gene race and the X-men.

Producer/Presenter: Cheyne Anderson

Speaker:

Dr Joshua Chou - University of Technology Sydney

Think: Digital Futures is supported by 2SER and the University of Technology Sydney.

As the needs of the population begin to change, so too does the way we deliver healthcare. In collaboration with Think: Health, we look at how data is revolutionizing healthcare delivery, and whether we should be concerned about our privacy.

Producers/Presenters: Ellen Leabeater & Jake Morcom

Speakers:

Jude Constable - Acting General Manager, Westmead Hospital

Mary Lam - Senior Lecturer and Acting Director of Digital Health and Innovation, University of Technology Sydney

Richard Royle - National Digital Health Lead, Price Waterhouse Coopers

Michael Bainbridge - Head of Clinical Engagement at the International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation

Louise Ryan - Professor of Statistics at University of Technology Sydney

Dominique Cadilhac - Data Custodian of the Australian Stroke Data Tool and Australian Stroke Registry

For more info head to 2ser.com

This show is supported by 2SER and the University of Technology Sydney.

Having a device in your pocket 24/7 opens up new opportunities for abusers to control and spy on their partners. But it's also an opportunity for domestic violence victims and services to be more connected than ever before.

Presenter: Ellen Leabeater

Producer: Josh Nicholas

Speakers:

Alex Davis - Solicitor, Legal Aid NSW

Priyadarsi Nanda - Senior Lecturer, School of Computing and Communications, University of Technology Sydney

Dr Bhuva Narayan - Senior Lecturer, IKM and Digital Studies Program, University of Technology Sydney

Emily Maguire - CEO, SmartSafe+

Nitika Maharaj - Manager Clinical Services, Doncare

Think: Digital Futures is supported by 2SER and the University of Technology Sydney.