The subtitle of this podcast should be: How to Stop Worrying and Love the Surveillance State.
As we mentioned in last week's show, Adam purchased an Alexa Echo, which has been making the news lately for randomly laughing at its users. Amazon claims they've addressed the problem and fixed it. But this story raises some troubling questions about the potentially sinister nature of these new technologies. How much control do we want to cede to these behemoth tech companies for convenience?
Are we headed for a HAL 9000 future?
And speaking of behemoth tech companies, by now most people realize the power Google, Facebook, and Twitter have over our online lives. These juggernauts have so far monopolized much of the online space - which, of course, was by design.
Now that they've essentially cornered the market, they feel emboldened to censor - or outright eliminate - voices THEY DON'T LIKE. All in the name of combating so-called Hate Speech and Fake News. Factor in all the negative psychological affects these new technologies inflict, the admitted implementation of "keyboard warriors" to sow discord, spread disinformation and propaganda, bots to amplify those messages, algorithms to suppress information... and you have the perfect recipe for the Weaponization of Social Media.
Oh, and apparently, they found Amelia Earhart's bones.
In this week's episode we review a fascinating UFO incident that occurred in October of last year. What makes this case so interesting, is that researchers were able to obtain the audio recording of the air traffic controllers, pilots, and the FAA while it was happening in real-time. Fighter jets were scrambled, but still there are no definitive answers yet on what the object was, its final destination, or intention.
What the hell was it?
Another Bigfoot lawsuit filed in California. The witness swears she saw a neanderthal-like 800 pound creature in a tree, and she's willing to go to court to prove it.
Those Japanese scientists are up to their old tricks again. This time developing AI that can read your thoughts. Frightening if true.
More time travelers. Most are obvious LARPs, but there's one who just might be the real deal. Believe it, or not!
Oh, and apparently there was a cat in a tree holding what witnesses were sure was an AR-15. Due to all the mass shootings, it appears our feline friends aren't the only "scaredy-cats" these days.