In this episode of Computer Says Maybe, @alixdunn.com chats with @bcmerchant.bsky.social about his favorite Luddite films and shows and more broadly the movies that speak to our anxieties of technological “progression” and the corporate hellscapes that often drive it.
And, as @bcmerchant.bsky.social argues, some of our favorite movies have been shaped by the Luddites.
Today, people think being a Luddite means someone who’s inept or unwilling to adopt technology. But the Luddites were actually workers, rising up in the face of factory owners trying to automate them out of their livelihoods.
@bcmerchant.bsky.social www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/one-year-o...
What do Frankenstein and Sigourney Weaver have in common?
They both tell stories inspired by Luddites.
Today, people think being a Luddite means someone who’s inept or unwilling to adopt technology. But the Luddites were actually workers, rising up in the face of factory owners trying to automate them out of their livelihoods.
@bcmerchant.bsky.social www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/one-year-o...
We’re curious - what other tech stories are you interested in learning about? Are there any reporters you want to hear from, any topics that you think deserve some digging? Let us know!
You can read the story by @nicoschmidt.io and @leonardocoelho.jor.br in @TechPolicyPress here: www.techpolicy.press/facial-recog...
For our first episode, @alixdunn.com sat down with journalists @nicoschmidt.io and @leonardocoelho.jor.br who uncovered this story of facial recognition roll call and what happens when European companies export surveillance tech to the Global Majority. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyKW...
We’re launching a new video series! Welcome to the Tech Story of the Week, a new series from @themaybe.org where we spotlight the stories that expose technology’s complex relationship with power.
Why are schoolchildren in Brazil being surveilled for…attendance?
Every day, as many as one million students in the state of Paraná have their faces scanned and biometrically assessed, all to try and save a few seconds of roll call.
What do we get when capitalists are scared? Fascism.
I spoke with @naomiaklein.bsky.social about capitalism’s worst mood and how the left is doing better than we think we are.
Listen to the conversation here: www.themaybe.org/podcast/how-...
Activismo, resistencia, comunidad. Somos más, y no podemos quedar mirando. Aquí, un empujón con @naomiaklein.bsky.social @themaybe.org 💪💯❤️www.themaybe.org/podcast/how-to-scare-a-f...
So glad you liked it! You can listen to the compilation podcast episodes or watch the full interviews with each of our rad guests here: www.themaybe.org/reframing-im...
Lingo Bingo at the India AI Summit w/ Naomi Klein, Timnit Gebru, Nikhil Dey, and Chinasa Okolo
Such a terrific listen! Going to find & listen to the other parts of the Lingo Bingo at the India AI Summit series from @themaybe.org
I greatly enjoyed this conversation on one of my favourite podcasts (an underappreciated one, IMO). It starts out about AI but it's really about fighting fascism.
Yes!! The only way we get a better future is if we make it happen.
@naomiaklein.bsky.social joins @alixdunn.com this week to talk about her upcoming book End Times Fascism, the historical through-lines that actually explain this moment, and why the left should give itself more credit than it does.
Listen to the conversation: www.themaybe.org/podcast/how-...
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Scared of what happens when people start building real social infrastructure— not the kind that billionaires own to surveil us, but the kind that actually brings you closer to knowing your neighbor.
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Scared of what community resistance looked like in Minneapolis. Scared of young people unafraid to say what they believe in.
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These aren't acts of confidence, but reactions rooted in fear. They're scared of the power that we can collectively wield.
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Fascism, she argues, is capitalism's worst mood; not a permanent state, but a spasm. And spasms happen when the system feels threatened. We’re watching men in "power" attempt to control our information, our infrastructure, our political access.
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Tech billionaires and MAGA politicians want us to feel scared right now. But @naomiaklein.bsky.social thinks that's a sign that they're the ones who are actually TERRIFIED— and should be.
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Now we need your help - can you help us win the People’s Voice Award?
Cast your vote here: vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting...
And please share this widely! Voting is open till Thursday, April 16th.
graphic that says "Vote for Us" with an image of Alix Dunn (white woman with a blue suit and patterned suit smiling at the camera) next to text that says "Computer Says Maybe hosted by Alix Dunn"
We’ve been nominated for a Webby!!
Computer Says Maybe with @alixdunn.com is up for Best Technology Podcast - we’re honored that our conversations about tech politics and power are resonating with the good people of the Internet. Huge thanks to everyone who listens and shares the pod with friends 🙌🏼
Reframing “Frugal AI” with Timnit Gebru: AI Impact Summit 2026 @timnitgebru.blacksky.app @themaybe.org
www.youtube.com/watch?v=gucZ...
Not only was Grammarly using the names of experts, it was FABRICATING QUOTES for articles under the name of those experts!!!
@juliaangwin.com not kidding when she says it's criminal
pca.st/episode/aa8f...
@alixdunn.com @themaybe.org
@anatosaurus.bsky.social on @themaybe.org with @alixdunn.com
How do we topple the global rollout of data centers? One battle after another.
@alixdunn.com joined Peter Lewis on his podcast Burning Platforms to talk through data center fights, greenwashing, the dizzying copyright conversation, and more.
Give it a listen here:
In what feels like a nice little circle of life, Sora is now dead. But Valerie’s film Ghost in the Machine is very much alive.
It slashes through the AI hype veil with a vivid historical exploration of AI’s roots and where it brings us today. We cannot recommend the movie enough.
