Especially in times of shared confusion, disagreement and public unrest, it is worth considering the communities we all belong to. We may be aware of some of their traits, but do we appreciate how communities function as disparate groups? This week we welcome Qossay Alsattari to discuss ideas surrounding entry into a community. As we settle into our respective roles, we do not always appreciate the strange times associated with changing or joining a community. How can we be more welcoming to newcomers and what should we observe and respect in the communities we join? Are we able to enact change after joining a new community?
Episode 118: The Lens, The Stranger - Insomnia
Though our modern era is filled with sleeplessness and poorly-rested citizens, not all of us suffer from the condition of insomnia, which heavily impedes one's ability to sleep. Because sleep is so essential to our bodily and mental health, it plays a clear role in our survival and success as people. As a result, insomnia presents a curious case of the unnatural - holding us just out of reach of one layer of human behavior and habit. This week, we welcome C.J. Clinkscales, who has chronically dealt with insomnia, to discuss his thoughts. In what ways does insomnia create an element of artificiality? Why might it make us feel unnatural or monstrous? What do we learn about our thought patterns when we're left alone with them for hours in this vulnerable state? And how can we incorporate it into our unproductive views of "heroic" sleep deprivation?
Further Reading:
Snoozymonk, “Everything You Need to Know About Insomnia”
Episode 117: On the Eve of the 2016 Election
The exhaustion and disillusionment in our country is palpable. This is not about the political decisions made tomorrow, but about how we reflect on the state of our country and what we might learn. This is not an episode about our individual political leanings, but a personal request regarding a societal, national issue.
Episode 116: For Non-Gamers — Let's Plays
This week, Phoebe Lewis returns for the third entry in our series "For Non-Gamers". She watched through a series of videos on YouTube known as "Let's Plays," in which content creators will complete a video game while providing commentary, often humorous or insightful. In particular, she viewed a number of episodes from "StephenPlays," produced by Stephen Georg and his wife, Mallory. Let's Playing is a relatively young phenomenon, but draws millions of views on platforms like Twitch and YouTube. Is there something particular to video games that encourages ekphrastic work like this? Does commentary substantially change the source material? And how might Let's Plays offer a comfortable point of entry for those like Phoebe who do not consider themselves gamers?
Episode 115: "The Whole Haystack"
“Almost every major terrorist attack on Western soil in the past fifteen years has been committed by people who were already known to law enforcement. One of the gunmen in the attack on Charlie Hebdo, in Paris, had been sent to prison for recruiting jihadist fighters. The other had reportedly studied in Yemen with Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the underwear bomber, who was arrested and interrogated by the F.B.I. in 2009. ”
“Before 9/11, the intelligence community was already struggling to evolve. The technology of surveillance was changing, from satellites to fibre-optic cable. The targets were also changing, from the embassies and nuclear arsenals of the Cold War era to scattered networks of violent extremists. The law still drew lines between foreign and domestic surveillance, but the increasingly global nature of communications was complicating this distinction.”
In recent years, Americans and global citizens have been made aware of government surveillance and data gathering programs. But the conversation surrounding the topic has died down for the most part. Many trend towards poles of paranoia or complacency with fewer individuals attempting to parse through the complex modern phenomenon. And admittedly, this would not be an easy task, as much of the necessary information is classified and well-guarded. This week Nico Hargreaves-Heald joins us to explore a particular case of NSA surveillance as used to track and convict Basaaly Moalin, who was found to have financed Somalian extremists. How should American citizens consider the measures taken by agencies such as the NSA? Is there a particular reason that technological monitoring has become such a prominent tool of the US government? How might the approach of sifting through metadata actually overwhelm or distract authorities from legitimate threats and criminal activity?
