Sundance 2026 - Joybubbles and Ghost in the Machine

Send us Fan MailThis episode brings you two Sundance documentaries that show very different ways that technology can have an impact on our lives.Joybubbles is a biopic about a blind man (born decades before the internet or the computer) who learns how to manipulate the telephone system by whistling, and inadvertently lays the groundwork for the future of hacking and technology. Director Rachel J. Morrison joins us to share how she learned about Joybubbles from his obituary in the NY Times, his connection to Mr. Rogers, and the meta way in which she found hours of tapes of Joybubbles speaking about his life. Ghost in the Machine is a documentary that reveals the dark untold origins of Artificial Intelligence, and where we go from here. Director Valerie Veatch sits down with us to discuss her years long work examining the intersection of technology and society, why we should all be friction maxing everyday (and what the hell that actually means),  and how being a parent informs her work (and vice versa).Follow Joybubbles on IGFollow director Rachel J. Morrison on IGFollow Ghost in the Machine on IGFollow director Valerie Veatch on IGThank you to our sponsor, Standard Deviant BrewingSupport the showThanks for listening and for your support! We couldn't have won Best of the Bay Best Podcast in 2022 , 2023 , and 2024 without you!--Fight fascism. Shop small. Use cash. Fuck ice.--Support Bitch Talk here!Subscribe to our channel on YouTube for behind the scenes footage!Rate and review us wherever you listen to podcasts!Visit our website! www.bitchtalkpodcast.comFollow us on Instagram, Threads, and SubstackListen every Monday at 7 am on BFF.FM