Good evening,
Tonight’s program looks at the A.I. issue from several fresh angles.
First, New York City radio legend Jean Shepherd predicted in 1963 that he would be replaced by a robotic radio host. Today, we know he’s right, as the big A.I. producers are training up thousands of phony “podcasters.” And they are training us — soon, many people won’t be able to tell the difference.
Then I play a segment of an interview with Tristan Harris from the Center for Humane Technology, who understands the human impact of this technology. The most chilling part of the interview is his description of how the creators of Instagram knew they were pointing a supercomputer at people’s brains and hypnotize them into the algorithm. He admits that social media platforms are all A.I. driven and always have been, but we called it an “algorithm.”
Then, I have part of the conversation between Brian Eno and Ezra Kline that covers the A.I. territory from the angle of creativity and music and the interrelationship between humans and machines. This is one of the best-conducted interviews I’ve ever heard and reveals Kline’s talent once you get him out of a political environment. I could not have done this interview better, no way, no how.
In the last hour of the program, I play the second edition of Shri Yantra from the Book of Blue Substack, which is on the topic of jealousy and compersion. Here is the article Jealousy and the Abyss by William Pennell Rock.
Special Appeal for Substack Subscriptions and Direct Donations — We Cannot Do This Without You.
While the ‘covid’ crisis seems over, I think that we at Planet Waves FM and our nonprofit Chiron Return are doing some of our best work.
The run of programs from June to present was among my best ever — you said so! — and we publish Ice Nine News five times a week with a hand-chosen roundup of articles that document where technology meets humanity. We continue to work on the “covid” issue and are ready to expand the chronology into 2022 and 2023.
Listenership this year has been at its peak, yet we are losing paid subscribers. This makes me sad and is part of the internet culture that I don’t understand.
We are a small player on the “podcast” scene and are not exactly favored by the algorithms. I realize everyone is asking for your subscription dollar. My question is, what do they give you for it? Can you count on them? Can you communicate with them? Do they listen to your ideas and suggestions? Do they respond to your emails?
If you donate to massive, well-funded organizations like Pro Publica, PBS or NPR, I would ask you to donate to a small, devoted and highly effective group like Chiron Return. Give the little guy a chance! Well, we’ve proven ourselves over and over.
Despite our modest resources and largely volunteer effort, we have over the past seven years provided some of the most dependable, accurate, thorough, honest reporting on major issues. We not only do journalism; Chiron Return teaches journalism.
If you lament the loss of honest news and are sick of all of the relentless viewpoint that tries to pass as such, please subscribe for a while, or make a one-time or monthly donation directly to Chiron Return.
If you listen every week and have never donated, please, subscribe or go to our donations area.
Thank you for your investment of conscience.
