Human Responses to Technology

Jeff Bilbro, FPR’s super-beaver EIC and Grove City College professor, looks to ancient mythology to assess modern technology and fiction of the future. Cassandra Nelson of the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture is stuck in the middle, a bit like AI itself. Author, teacher, and mother Tessa Carman looks for life in abundance in Minnesota and Maryland. Writer and Berry Center board member Kate Dalton Boyer introduces the speakers. Highlights 1:00 Kate kicks things off Jeff Bilbro: “Where Now Are Wayland’s Bones?” 3:30 Kingsnorth and Norse smith explained 12:30 Tempted by ease and justice 15:00 AI amigos for the autonomous 19:00 Computerized convocations 22:00 Wise touch Cassandra Nelson: “Median Humans and the Life That Really is Life” 26:00 Harboring a secret subtitle 29:15 A hallucinating average machine 34:30 M.A.D. results 41:00 Fancy tooters over computers 45:00 Against photocopies Tessa Carman: “The Joy of Tech Resistance” 46:30 FPR Match Game 48:00 Manifestos and better tools 51:00 You don’t have to! 55:00 Postman knocks, people dance 63:00 Better names and best practices Resources Speaker bios and conference videos Interview with Jeanne Schindler on Postman Pledge FPR Books and bookshop Conference co-sponsor Plough Thanks to Wendell Kimbrough for our theme music