Why weather obsession takes hold, and are death bots ethical?

from Life Matters - Full program podcast · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Bureau of Meteorology has revamped its website and to say that people have strong opinions is an understatement. Whether you like or loathe it, the flood of reactions shows how the weather means so much more to us than small talk. So what is it about the weather... why are we so obsessed? Nate Byrne is ABC News Breakfast weather presenter and meteorologist and Lawrie Zion is professor of journalism at La Trobe University and author of The Weather Obsession.Commercial operators are using national parks for lodges, glamping, and private accommodation.New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service has called for expressions of interest from businesses to provide "supported camping" in 16 national parks and reserves across the state. So, is this a valuable source of revenue? Does it make our national parks more accessible? Or is this just privatising public space? Jessie Burke is President of Bushwalking NSW and Sonya Underdahl is Professor of Environmental Sociology, Edogawa University in Japan.Suzanne Somers was one of the biggest TV stars of the 1980s and 1990s... starring on sitcoms like Three's Company and Step by Step. She also made a name for herself marketing the iconic fitness gadget - the ThighMaster. Sadly, Suzanne died of cancer in 2023... but now her husband of 46 years has brought her back... kind of. Somers' widower Alan Hamel has created an AI clone of her and plans to upload it on her website, to be a 24/7 AI chatbot for her fans. So, is this ethical? Patrick Stokes is Associate Professor of philosophy at Deakin University.

What this episode covers

The Bureau of Meteorology has revamped its website and to say that people have strong opinions is an understatement. Whether you like or loathe it, the flood of reactions shows how the weather means so much more to us than small talk. So what is it about the weather... why are we so obsessed? Nate Byrne is ABC News Breakfast weather presenter and meteorologist and Lawrie Zion is professor of journalism at La Trobe University and author of The Weather Obsession. Commercial operators are using national parks for lodges, glamping, and private accommodation.New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service has called for expressions of interest from businesses to provide "supported camping" in 16 national parks and reserves across the state. So, is this a valuable source of revenue? Does it make our national parks more accessible? Or is this just privatising public space? Jessie Burke is President of Bushwalking NSW and Sonya Underdahl is Professor of Environmental Sociology, Edogawa University in Japan. Suzanne Somers was one of the biggest TV stars of the 1980s and 1990s... starring on sitcoms like Three's Company and Step by Step. She also made a name for herself marketing the iconic fitness gadget - the ThighMaster. Sadly, Suzanne died of cancer in 2023... but now her husband of 46 years has brought her back... kind of. Somers' widower Alan Hamel has created an AI clone of her and plans to upload it on her website, to be a 24/7 AI chatbot for her fans. So, is this ethical? Patrick Stokes is Associate Professor of philosophy at Deakin University.