PODCAST · society
Positive Feedback Loop
by Positive Feedback Loop
Positive Feedback Loop! We discuss tech, history, and culture and we have fun disagreeing with each other. ;-) Co-hosts: Luis, Ray, and Steph. Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/thepflpodcast!"Lost episodes" (episodes we've removed):Ep.38 (Watercooler chat - mind-reading robots eat your money)
Episodes
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Ep. 73: We Called the Midwife (with Allison Blackham)
In this episode, you’ll learn what midwifery is all about from a professional midwife who runs a birth center in Northern California. Our special guest Allison Blackham talks about the relationship midwifery has with the healthcare industry, the history of midwifery, the risks and rewards of...
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Ep. 72: Authority, Power, and Social Contracts
When you think of authority, what is the first color that you think of? What is authority? What are social contracts? Where does authority come from? What is the difference between power and authority? Commercial: Listen to more episodes! Looking through The Power of Political Authority, a book…
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Ep. 71: Skipping Leap Day
Why do we have leap day and when does the world actually skip leap day? What is your preferred calendar? Let’s ponder how and why we measure time in this episode all about everything you might not know about calendar systems.
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Ep. 70: Jealousy
In this episode, we begin by pondering past moments of jealousy and defining what jealousy really is. Then we dig into: jealousy vs. envy, comparing ourselves to others, and resources as limited vs. abundant. We also talk about how to deal with jealousy, including giving a word to the opposite of...
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Ep. 69: Quantum Internet
In this episode, we talk about what quantum internet is and how it differs from the internet as we know it today. Photons, hacking, teleporting, qubits, quantum state, entanglement, and more. If you want to understand more about quantum internet, listen to this episode! Brought to you by Positive...
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Ep. 68: Consumerism
What is a consumer? Producers vs. consumers in the ecological world What is the difference between consumerism and materialism? Are consumers more empowered than before? Protecting consumers Marketing and consumer behavior The obsession with acquisition Black Friday Morality and Spending (e.g.,...
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Ep. 67: The Future of Music Monetization (with Pascal Guyon)
With guest Pascal Guyon! Pascal is a musician, an investor, and more. In this episode, he shares his insights about the music industry and where it’s headed.
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Ep. 66: Dark Web, Drugs, and Deterrence (with Lyn Ulbricht)
Our guest was Lyn Ulbricht of the Free Ross movement. Ross Ulbricht was convicted of crimes associated with the Silk Road. Topics discussed in this episode: Ross’s experience in federal prison. Libertarian philosophy. Becoming a public figure; opportunities for public speaking. Learning about…
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Ep. 65: This Episode is Unforgettable
Is memory reliable? Has technology changed how we remember? What is the purpose of memory? How do you want to be remembered? All this and more in this episode about memory.
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Ep. 64: Beyond the Event
Ray and Steph recorded this week without Luis, but he’ll be back next week! In this episode about events, Ray and Steph discuss some memorable events and try to determine what defines an event. Does an event have to have a purpose, a focus? Hackathons, VR, Facebook Live. Event logs in computing....
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Ep. 63: The Truth Will Set You Free
In this episode we define truth and we compare truth vs. reality. Then, we talk about the role of data in truth-seeking, and ask, will the truth set us free? Is ignorance bliss? What does it mean to be a truth seeker? The responsibility of truth, painful truths, perceptions of truth, truth vs....
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Ep. 62: A Lie By Any Other Name
In this episode we start with some stories about famous liars. Then we talk about types of lies. We discuss pathological liars, influence, the dating world, and employment. Commercial: Lie Detector Siren. Are we lying more? Social media, justification, blockchain’s impact, why and when we lie,...
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Ep. 61: Digital Afterlife
What happens—or could happen—to our data after we die? Listen to Ray, Luis, and Steph talk about the possibilities.
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Ep. 60: Meditation and Prayer
In this episode, we talk about forms of meditation and prayer. We discuss topics such as Tai Chi, taking the time to think, running as meditation, Ray's temple visit, the role of silence, the rhythms of our bodies, chanting, ASMR, breathing, singing, flying, and slowing down. Also, joining us...
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Ep. 59: Pay Attention to This!
In this episode, we talk about attention. Have our attention spans gotten longer or shorter or stayed the same? What distracts us? How does the future of marketing impact our attention? Can AI lose attention, or is AI attention limited? What are the dimensions of attention? Is attention quality...
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Ep. 58: The Power Of Influencers
What defines an influencer? The Present: How much do influencers get paid? How do you become an influencer? What is more effective for advertising: macro-influencers or micro-influencers? The dark side of influencer marketing The Past: The history of influencers — Ancient Rome, Coco Wine,...
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Ep. 57: The World of Conspiracy Theories
What are some popular conspiracy theories? Can a conspiracy theory be proven wrong? How have social media propagated conspiracy theories and what are the implications for free speech? Should communication platforms limit or block conspiracy theorists? What is your favorite conspiracy theory?
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Ep. 56: Saving Lives with Augmented Reality (with Kari Wu, Co-Founder of Screen Door Labs)
What Kari is working on at Screen Door Labs, what augmented reality can do for first responders, AR features that are well-suited for serving first responders, the hardware she has worked with, and where Kari thinks the future of AR is headed. We also discuss one-way and two-way AR. Commercial:...
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Ep. 55: Evolution of Spam
From online forums of the 1980s to social media and beyond Forms of spam Why do people send spam? Statistician Paul Graham Robo calls Spam vs. scams CAN-SPAM Act Commercial: Future Spam Protection Spam in social media, online reviews, etc. Fake followers and bot engagement Is spam in the eye of…
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Ep. 54: Compassion Fatigue
What is Compassion Fatigue? The difference between Compassion Fatigue and Burnout The Green Cross Charles Figley and the Figley Institute Commercial: Robot Patients Caring for aging parents Resilience Survivor vs. victim mentality Post-traumatic growth Experiences that can result in compassion...
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Ep. 53: The Dark Side of Leadership (with Alex Straley)
A special thanks to Alex Straley, a leadership development consultant at IBM, for joining us! Alex's views in this episode are solely his own and does not represent IBM. Episode notes: Characteristics of bad bosses What makes a bad boss “bad”? There is not one kind of management Managers vs....
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Ep. 52: Borderless Nation-States (with Bitnation founder Susanne Tarkowski Tempelhof)
Episode notes: What is a nation-state? Globalization and local communities How will Bitnation redefine the nation-state? Security and jurisdiction Government is like an icecream shop Globalization and the preservation of culture The potential for private armies Governments’ roles in genocides War...
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Ep. 51: Decentralized Voting (with Sandra Miller from Democracy.Earth)
Sandra Miller Intro What is Democracy.Earth? Origins of Democracy Earth Foundation Democracy and voting Problem to be solved- Corruption Commercial - DemocracyEarth Ambassador Program How do you prove your identity without a third party? Facebook as an authoritarian regime Trust How the Internet...
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Ep. 50: Bitcoin
What role will bitcoin play in the future of money?
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Ep. 49: Internet Exaggeration
We start with our first memories of the Internet. Then we discuss fake news and echo chambers. Can we find good sources and can we trust the press? What is a good incentive structure for journalism? Is journalism (or can it be) unbiased? Infographics and data without context. Listening and...
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Ep. 48: Forgiveness and Second Chances
This episode is all about why and how to forgive, gaining back trust, making mistakes, the purpose of forgiveness, and more. Commercial: Confessional
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Ep. 47: Utopia 3 - How Do We Get There?
Utopia 3: How Do We Get There? From the perspective of inputs How do you make real your utopic vision of the future? Barriers to reaching utopia Types of utopias, e.g., techno-utopia, eco-utopia, agrarian utopia The near future: what can we do to get on a trajectory toward utopia How do you reach...
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Ep. 46: Public Apologies
Perception, crafting an apology, timing, blame, responsibility, hurt, guilt, and more! Examples include: Kitchenaid, Amazon reviews, Dove, Netflix, Apple, a steakhouse in Brighton MA, Electronic Arts, Tesla, etc.
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Ep. 45: Utopia 2 - Is Artificial Intelligence a Road to Dystopia?
We’ve discussed what Utopia might look like, but how do you get there? The future of Artificial Intelligence Utopia or Eutopia? Commercial The future of work Will technological trends take us to a dystopia?
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Ep. 44: An Attitude of Gratitude
Episode notes: What are we grateful for? Is gratitude natural? The benefits of being grateful Daily gratitude Commercial: Presidentially Pardoned Turkeys When you shouldn’t be grateful Grateful for challenges
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Ep. 43: What is Your Utopia?
In this episode, the three co-hosts describe their very different concepts of utopia. Episode notes: Mormon Utopia Is modern society the past’s utopia? What is consciousness? Do any two people imagine the same utopia? Ray’s utopia: all people become one unified energy outside of time Matryoshka...
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Ep. 42: Handy Dandy Pets
Episode notes: What are pets? Being a “pet parent” What’s in an animal’s mind? Humans raised by animals Do animals feel emotions similar to humans’? Commercial: Petcestry Genomics Why do we have pets? Homeless pets People who poison other people’s pets Ray’s chameleon Luis’s dog Steph’s dog Worm...
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Ep. 41: The Bigger Sick
Most destructive diseases in history Contagion Social contagion The spread of ideas Should you vaccinate your child? Travel and disease The Anthrax story Disease in war Suicide contagion Commercial: Minority animal diseases World of Warcraft and the CDC Studying the spread of disease Google Flu...
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Ep. 40: Autonomous Morality
Episode notes: MIT’s Moral Machine test Who would you save? Fate and interference, guilt Kant’s autonomous morality Utilitarianism Patience with people vs. machines MBTA and Amtrak stories Consumer comfort with driverless cars Blame in autonomous vehicle accidents The future of machine autonomy...
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Ep. 39: Listeners' Choice - Celebration (1st Anniversary Special!)
This is a Listeners’ Choice episode! The topic ("the importance of celebration”) was submitted by Akshay. We also talked about birthdays, which was submitted by Jan Marie! Episode notes: Is “celebrating the everyday” really a celebration? Celebrations as checkpoints Celebration vs. recurring...
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Ep. 37: Making the Most of Your MBA
Episode notes: What we did before we started the MBA program The role of diversity and different types of diversity Choosing extracurriculars What is a case competition? “Teaming” A clear vision vs. experimentation Commercial: Bartholomew's School for Shady Business How to network effectively...
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Ep. 36: Are We in a Golden Age?
What is a “golden age”? How do we know if we are in a golden age? The golden ages of media: television, information, radio, video games… The golden age of hip hop Are we able to identify a golden age while we’re in it? Commercial: Customized Element Ages The golden age of television The metrics…
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Ep. 35: What's the Deal with Sleep?
What defines sleep? What’s your common sleep position? Why do we sleep? Sleep deprivation The relationship of anxiety and sleep Sleep apnea and night terrors Naps and siestas Commercial: Hypernation Pills Sleep paralysis and kanashibari Cultural views of sleep Debunking bunker: Does turkey make…
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Bonus Track: Don't Buy This Stuff
Baby Bowling Thomas Gotchi “Nothing” Barry Berries The Screaming Room Ray’s Fireworks Barn Snow Box
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Ep. 34: Field Trip – Popnology! The Past’s Future
*Special episode* We visited the Popnology Exhibit at Boston’s Museum of Science! In this episode we discuss some topics that come up in the exhibit, such as: Lots of robotic arms (e.g., Baxter!) Space Elevator What the smartphone has replaced The love for retro Digital vs. 35mm photography 3-D...
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Ep. 33: Online Learning: A Must or a Bust?
What is a MOOC? Are MOOCs more interesting than normal college courses? Are MOOCs the future? Are online courses effective? The role of online learning in the workplace Who learns online? Can one put online learning on a resume? Commercial: Pifflorations You can learn just about anything online...
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Ep. 32: Adventures in Venture Capital (with Carlo Santelli)
Ep. 32: Venture Capital (with Carlo Santelli of Stonehenge Capital) Carlo Santelli explains growth capital The role of venture capital in community development Trends in the private equity and venture capital worlds Are the unicorns in a bubble? Networking in the VC world Does size matter? The...
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Ep. 31: Boredom (with Chinmay Dhandhania)
When are you most bored? Are children more prone to boredom than adults? Inactivity vs. boredom Is boredom related to imagination, motivation, energy? Boredom as a lack of freedom Boredom from entertainment overload Boredom as a source of innovation and creativity Commercial: Bartholomew’s School...
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Ep. 30: The Illusion of Control
Independence as control Cosmic lack of control Controlling the weather Do humans ultimately desire to conquer and control? Civilization as control over environment Do we ever desire to lose control? The spiritual side: acknowledging a lack of control The power of the brain Drugs and loss of…
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Ep. 29: Collaboration — Crime, Corporate Culture, and Chaos
A conscious decision or just instinct? Process discipline vs. collaboration Cooperation vs. collaboration Organization and discipline in crime rings Do crime rings thrive because of ideology or market demand? The electronic silk road Cybercrime groups: collaborating against vs. for something...
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Ep. 28: Board Games and Beyond
What is a board game? The best strategy for Monopoly German-style board games Jumanji Collaborative games Group games Kickstarter games Commercial: The Positive Feedback Loop Game Ancient games AI/machine learning 3D games Solveable vs. unsolveable games Tactile games Dominoes across cultures…
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Ep. 27: Summer Vacation – On the Beach or in Space?
Do we take more risks in the summer than in other seasons? Summer vacation Jobs that make it difficult to take a vacation Dangerous sports Attempts to avoid a shark bite Ways to treat a jellyfish sting Our favorite seasons The story of the grateful woman When seasons change Traveling during…
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Ep. 26: Time Travel - Alpha: Aging
Episode notes: Society’s fear of aging Agism Seniors and their independence Tom Leer’s song Aging for women vs. men Aging in Japanese culture The Giver Experience over mere ability The perks of being old Traveling and age Commercial: Time Paradox Box Why are younger people afraid of getting old?...
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Ep. 25: How to Keep a Friend
Does the magic of friendship last? What is a friend? Are Facebook friends… friends? The definition of friendship: has it evolved? Friend audit Friendship in terms of database management Can friendship be one-sided? Friends you see daily and friends far away Ralph Waldo Emerson’s definition of...
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Ep. 24: Do Grades Matter?
Do grades correctly reflect achievement? How are grades constructed? Grades as inaccurate predictors of success Different sources of power Professors and power The status of honor societies Competition, aspiration Commercial: Time paradox box (again!) The power dynamics of grades Do grades…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Positive Feedback Loop! We discuss tech, history, and culture and we have fun disagreeing with each other. ;-) Co-hosts: Luis, Ray, and Steph. Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/thepflpodcast!"Lost episodes" (episodes we've removed):Ep.38 (Watercooler chat - mind-reading robots eat your money)
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Positive Feedback Loop
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Positive Feedback Loop have?
Positive Feedback Loop currently has 73 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Positive Feedback Loop about?
Positive Feedback Loop! We discuss tech, history, and culture and we have fun disagreeing with each other. ;-) Co-hosts: Luis, Ray, and Steph. Find us on Twitter: twitter.com/thepflpodcast!"Lost episodes" (episodes we've removed):Ep.38 (Watercooler chat - mind-reading robots eat your money)
How often does Positive Feedback Loop release new episodes?
Positive Feedback Loop has 73 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Positive Feedback Loop?
You can listen to Positive Feedback Loop on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Positive Feedback Loop?
Positive Feedback Loop is created and hosted by Positive Feedback Loop.
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