Favoriting Techtonic with Mark Hurst: Playlist from July 30, 2018 Favoriting

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Conversations with creators and thinkers who are charting the way forward in a tech-saturated society. In our shift to a digital future, we need alternatives to Big Tech. Homepage: techtonic.fm

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Favoriting July 30, 2018: Dr. Robert Epstein: watching Google manipulate the world

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This week: Dr. Robert Epstein, on how Google manipulates the world. Dr. Epstein is the author of 15 books and over 250 articles, a PhD from Harvard (B.F. Skinner's final doctoral student, in fact), and the former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today.

More info about Dr. Epstein's work:

@DrREpstein, Dr. Epstein's Twitter feed

AIBRT (American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology), where he's Senior Research Psychologist

DrRobertEpstein.com, his homepage

Taming Big Tech: The Case for Monitoring: How, working in the shadows of the internet, researchers developed a passive monitoring system that might soon make Big Tech companies accountable to the public — and even save democracy. "Online manipulative powers, you ask? Isn’t Google just a big, cuddly, electronic public library? If you still believe that nonsense, grow up. Google is actually one of the most rapacious and deceptive companies ever created. Those free tools the company gives you are just gussied-up surveillance platforms, allowing the company to collect information about more than two billion people every day, which they then auction off to advertisers or, in some cases, share with business partners and intelligence agencies."

Footage of Eric Schmidt: "How people get their information - what they believe, what they don't - is, I think, the project for the next decade." -Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman, Alphabet, Inc., November 10, 2016

USA Today article (today, July 30) by Robert Epstein, evaluating the President's mental health.

Could Google rankings skew an election? New group aims to find out (Washington Post, March 14, 2017): "95 monitors in 24 states captured more than 13,000 sets of search rankings and the 98,000 pages to which they linked... Google dismissed Epstein's research as 'nothing more than a poorly constructed conspiracy theory.'"

Social media manipulation rising globally, new report warns (Oxford University, July 20): "in 48 countries, up from 28 countries last year... there is at least one political party or government agency using social media to manipulate public opinion domestically." See the report summary or the full PDF. (Not written by Dr. Epstein but much to the point of his research.)

• "Manipulating Minds: the power of search engines to influence votes and opinions," Chapter 12 in Digital Dominance: Implications and Risks, by Martin Moore and Damian Tambini (eds.)

Fake News Is a Fake Problem (Medium.com, April 10, 2017)

Zuck Off: Six Reasons Mark Zuckerberg Should Quit Facebook Right Now (Daily Caller, June 25)

The empty brain: Your brain does not process information, retrieve knowledge or store memories (Aeon, May 18, 2016): "In short: your brain is not a computer."

Dr. Epstein suggests:

• Instead of Google, try StartPage.com (I also like DuckDuckGo)

• Instead of Chrome, try the Brave browser. (On mobile, I like the Duck Duck Go mobile app, which is both a browser and search engine)

• Instead of Gmail, try ProtonMail (I also like FastMail)

• See also privacy-preserving alternatives to Google surveillance platforms.

• Finally, read Seven Simple Steps Toward Online Privacy - get off Gmail, get off Android, get off Chrome. In other words, get off of Google. Also, clear your cache and get a VPN.

Recent tech news:

How Not To Let Your Phone Ruin Your Vacation (NYT, July 25) by Catherine Price, our guest on the April 16 Techtonic episode. Remember, Price writes, that "every time you turn your attention to your phone, you are turning your attention away from everything else."

This Band Launched a Business Writing Theme Songs for Tech Companies (TIME, July 30), featuring Mobile Steam Unit - the band featured on the July 9 Techtonic episode.

Facebook’s $120 billion stock hit on Thursday, July 26 (a 19% drop) was the biggest single-day loss in US history (Business Insider, July 30)

Facebook is sued after stock plunge 'shocked' market (Reuters, July 22): "The complaint filed by shareholder James Kacouris in Manhattan federal court accused Facebook, Zuckerberg and Chief Financial Officer David Wehner of making misleading statements about or failing to disclose slowing revenue growth, falling operating margins, and declines in active users."

Facebook accused of undermining international aid efforts in Burma because it spreads fake news (Business Insider, July 28): "UK MPs said Facebook's "Free Basics" internet service, which is popular in Burma, was 'deeply unethical.'"

An open letter to Mark Zuckerberg: our child died at Sandy Hook – why let Facebook lies hurt us even more? (The Guardian, July 25)" We have endured online, telephone, and in-person harassment, abuse, and death threats... In order to protect ourselves and our surviving children, we have had to relocate numerous times. ... We are unable to properly grieve for our baby or move on with our lives because you, arguably the most powerful man on the planet, have deemed that the attacks on us are immaterial, that providing assistance in removing threats is too cumbersome, and that our lives are less important than providing a safe haven for hate."

...all of which led The Onion to write on July 27...



• Not to be outdone by Facebook, Twitter plummets 18% after reporting a decline in monthly active users (Business Insider, July 27)

Google fined a record $5 billion by the EU for abusing the dominance of Android (Business Insider, July 18) - and here are three reasons why they got the fine.

• Below, from Jason Kint, a thought on Google vs. Facebook:



Ahh, for the good old days...



...vs. what happened instead...



Tonight's outtro, "This Is The Future," is from the New Jersey band 3RDegree. Here's their album Ones & Zeros: vol 1.

- - -

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Artist Track Album Images Approx. start time
  Dr. Robert Epstein talks about how Google has the power to manipulate the world.
Tomaš Dvořák  Game Boy Tune   Favoriting Machinarium Soundtrack 
Favoriting
 
  Mark's intro    
Favoriting
 
  Interview with Dr. Robert Epstein    
Favoriting
0:18:11 (Pop-up)
  Your calls and comments 201-209-9368    
Favoriting
0:42:24 (Pop-up)
3RDegree  This Is The Future   Favoriting Ones & Zeros: vol. 1 
Favoriting
0:55:37 (Pop-up)


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Listener comments!

Avatar 🤖 5:47pm
herb.nyc:

I'm at the apple store in soho, (pre)tuning in. and that is A LOT of stuff of import for us to read, on the left. thanks, mark. I've never heard of StartPage.com (mentioned previously on this show?).
Avatar 6:01pm
geezerette:

Eeeeeeeeeeek!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:01pm
listener james from westwood:

Evening, Mark and all!
Avatar 6:02pm
Linda Lee:

hi Mark! are we ready?
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:02pm
listener james from westwood:

Your link section is expanding at almost the same rate as Amy Siskind's weekly listing of Trump admin horrors.
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:02pm
Bas NL:

Mark! Techtonici!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:03pm
ultradamno:

Hello Mark, robotechtones.

To what degree could anyone on the ground floor be credited with the foresight that Google would/could be could become the verb for conducting a web search? It was never going to be webcrawling, altavistaing, yahooing or even jeevesing. That such a silly name would do so much for them locking down the top spot.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:04pm
listener james from westwood:

Folks who have gotten clear of Facebook and Google as a result of this show will be known as having had Hurst Mover Advantage.
Avatar 6:04pm
Linda Lee:

alas i feel the verb will fall into decline with the corporation.
Avatar 6:04pm
Linda Lee:

or rather, yay!!! :-)
  6:05pm
Warren from Australia:

Hi everybody
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:05pm
ultradamno:

Hopefully!
Avatar 6:06pm
Linda Lee:

you sure have your finger on it, Mark!
just don't get it dirty.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:08pm
dale:

shareholders are supposed to be in it for the long haul. screw em if they just day trade.
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:09pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

The FB stock closed at $171.06, down $3.83 or 2.19%. Nyah!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:09pm
dale:

freebase? that almost killed richard pryor!
  6:10pm
melinda:

@dale haha
Avatar 6:10pm
Linda Lee:

probably helped kill him eventually, for sure.
Avatar 6:11pm
geezerette:

This business model is destroying the future.
  6:11pm
melinda:

How slimy.
Avatar 6:11pm
Sig:

Some people name the Internet Facebook
Avatar 6:12pm
Sig:

Some places on Earth
Avatar 6:12pm
geezerette:

We're living in a horrible comic book.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:12pm
ultradamno:

Damn, free is costly.
Avatar 6:14pm
Linda Lee:

fb has been incredibly successful under laissez-faire capitalism & laissez-faire capitalism has absolutely no intrinsic morality.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:15pm
dale:

geezerette - i hope we don't get buggered by a bear in this comic book.
Avatar 6:15pm
geezerette:

LL, once again cutting to the chase.
Avatar 🤖 6:15pm
herb.nyc:

everything I'm hearing makes me deeply ashamed that I'm still using facebook. ugh. -- also, has InfoWars been kicked off facebook?
Avatar 6:15pm
Linda Lee:

you need the heart of a fucking corpse, honestly..
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:16pm
queems:

lordy
Avatar 6:16pm
geezerette:

Dale, fingers crossed! Plus running shoes.
  6:17pm
melinda:

I think censoring the denial of reality, which is what holocaust denial is, only feeds the denial and sense that something is being hidden.
Avatar 6:17pm
geezerette:

Melinda, yes!
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:18pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

Folks can download 3D printable guns now, so there's that potential new problem.
Avatar 6:18pm
Linda Lee:

*if* wer're still on fb we have to ask ourselves why. if it serves a purpose for us, we have to ask ourselves if those purposes can be served another way. that's all it takes to disengage.
Avatar 6:19pm
Linda Lee:

gee, how will the NRA feel about that, considering they represent the manufacturers?
Avatar 6:19pm
geezerette:

Ken FHP, I couldn't believe that! Was ranting about it all weekend.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:20pm
queems:

this show exacerbates my anxiety by like 481237398721983%
Avatar 6:20pm
Linda Lee:

i see a potential rift between the NRA & the gun rights folks.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:21pm
dale:

curtis sliwa was slamming the nra earlier for their support of printable guns and hollow point bullets etc etc. the nra needs an active shooter situation at their headquarters to see the irony but it would just backfire on us.
Avatar 6:21pm
Linda Lee:

it's not a bad thing to know what's happening.
just don't let it overwhelm your day.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:21pm
ultradamno:

The Onion's "Onion Social" series is just lacerating on the subject: www.theonion.com...
Avatar 6:22pm
Linda Lee:

i don't understand how they support printables unless their constituency is making a buck on it. are they?
Avatar 6:22pm
Sig:

en.m.wikipedia.org...
Avatar 6:23pm
geezerette:

LL, must be,somehow...
Avatar 6:23pm
Linda Lee:

i guess they are! but where's the industry on printables?
Avatar 6:24pm
geezerette:

Software and printers...
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:24pm
Bas NL:

I am trying to remember.. There once was a caller in a talk show uttering desperately: "I'm not interested in facts, i'm talking about what is real!" Brilliant.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:24pm
Michael 98145:

the agenda of the NRA is to avoid all liability when weapons of mass murder are used for the purpose of mass murder.
Avatar 6:25pm
Linda Lee:

@Bas ~ wow :-)
Avatar 🤖 6:26pm
herb.nyc:

Dr Epstein says "national elections being very close" - don't we know it, during November 2016.
Avatar 6:26pm
Linda Lee:

well sure, because they're anti regulation in the interest of a sustainable market..
Avatar 6:27pm
geezerette:

It's painful to be awake but essential.
Avatar 6:28pm
Linda Lee:

it's painful to be asleep as well. might as well be awake :-D
Avatar 6:28pm
geezerette:

ha! :)
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:31pm
Mark Hurst:

Hi robotechtones, Techtonici! James, "Hurst Mover Advantage" - heh. Good to see everyone here this evening.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:32pm
Mark Hurst:

Yes, Herb, the 2016 election was the case study for Epstein's research into Google's SEME (search engine manipulation effect) - hackernoon.com...
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:35pm
Mark Hurst:

Queems - don't worry, I'm going to try to get to positive next-steps later in the show :)
Avatar 🤖 6:37pm
herb.nyc:

450,000 votes for Clinton. like, in what states? in the states that *mattered*?
Avatar 6:40pm
geezerette:

No, it doesn't look the same on the surface.
Avatar 🤖 6:40pm
herb.nyc:

Dr Epstein has 5 kids? Is he starting a basketball team?
Avatar 6:41pm
geezerette:

It's a bit late. Still, hope remained at the bottom of Pandora's box...
Avatar 6:42pm
Linda Lee:

back in the day, 5+ kids was average for the catholic families i knew, since the pope was against birth control. Dr. Epstein is obviously catholic.
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:43pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

The 'duck returned this search for the Skinner box: simplypsychology.org...
Avatar 6:44pm
Sig:

Loftslag eða veðurfar eru þeir eiginleikar veðurs sem eru einkennandi fyrir lengri tímabil, og er þá oft miðað við 30 ár. Nákvæmari skilgreining tekur til tölfræðilegra eiginleika veðurs, svo sem breytinga á milli daga og ára. Milliríkjanefnd Sameinuðu þjóðanna um loftslagsbreytingar skilgreinir loftslag á eftirfarandi hátt:

Loftslag í þröngum skilningi er yfirleitt skilgreint sem „meðaltalsveður“, eða á nákvæmari máta sem tölfræðileg lýsing (sem tekur til meðaltals og breytileika) á viðeigandi stærðum og eiginleikum yfir lengra tímabil, sem getur varað frá mánuðum til þúsunda eða milljóna ára. Hefðbundið viðmiðunartímabil er 30 ár, eins og það er skilgreint af stofnuninni World Meteorological Organization. Viðeigandi eiginleikar eru oftast yfirborðshitastig, úrkoma og vindur. Loftslag í víðari skilningi er, auk tölfræðilegrar lýsingar, almennt ástand veðurfarskerfisins.[1]
Avatar 6:44pm
Linda Lee:

for me it's critical to remember that our basic existence is *not* virtual.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:45pm
ultradamno:

I feel for kids right now, between this adminstration and social media what model is there for integrity, if not just a solid factual base for understanding what's going on around them?
Avatar 6:46pm
Linda Lee:

the usual ones, i think. their parents.
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:47pm
Bas NL:

Would be great if Dr. Epstein keeps us updated on his findings.. very interesting!
  6:47pm
Johnzon:

MLK, Malcolm X... there are some good living role models too they just don't get much press
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:48pm
Michael 98145:

i does seem like our foundation is turning entirely virtual, doesn't it?
Avatar 6:50pm
Linda Lee:

a parent should be a role model. *the* role model. i refuse to give anyone intentionally getting pregnant a pass on that. this world is too dangerous for small people to support sloppy parenting.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:51pm
ultradamno:

Facts are now served à la carte.
Avatar 6:51pm
Linda Lee:

i think unplugging for set periods to balance connected time is really, really important. problem is, many of us just don't find ourselves as interesting as the net. :-D
  6:51pm
MplsCoco:

I'm currently in an Adolescent Health Conference and this is a big part of the topics covered!! I'm so sharing your show with others and all the amazing content you provide us! ❤️
Avatar 6:52pm
northguineahills:

Been listening, but busy at work.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:52pm
melinda:

@Linda totally
Avatar 6:53pm
Linda Lee:

unplug for sufficient time to become reacquainted with what the virtual is *not*. what it's *not* is actuality.
Avatar 6:53pm
geezerette:

It's useful to try to remember things rather than always searching.
Better for your brain too.

Feed your imaginations constantly.
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:53pm
Bas NL:

Mmmm... There's still some work to do Mark: en.wikipedia.org...
Avatar 6:54pm
Linda Lee:

right on, g.
Avatar 6:54pm
Linda Lee:

there's a new meaning for 'head's up' :-)
Avatar 6:54pm
northguineahills:

Hey, I like to cuddle, not sure if Google is my type, but I have an open mind... ;p
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:54pm
Michael 98145:

well said, gz'ette
Avatar 6:55pm
Linda Lee:

Google will use & abuse you, ngh. my advise is to keep it casual.
Avatar 6:55pm
northguineahills:

I play games w/ my mind to make sure it still works, and memory is the only think I have going for me....
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:56pm
Michael 98145:

we -are- our memory
Avatar 6:57pm
northguineahills:

My younger (and lacking critical thinking skills) jokingly say that I'm now obsolete w/ google around.
Avatar 6:57pm
Linda Lee:

yes.
  6:57pm
Russ:

Does anyone else think caller Peter is caller Know It All from Shut Up Weirdo?
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:57pm
melinda:

I've gotten good results with Startpage
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:57pm
chris:

dang. missed the show. to the archives! yes, Russ.
Avatar 6:58pm
Linda Lee:

could be!
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:58pm
Bas NL:

Matt... nice!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:58pm
Michael 98145:

thanks again, Mark H
  6:58pm
Sherry in Somerville:

Thank you Mark. Another excellent program that totally freaks me out! In a good galvanizing way.
Avatar Swag For Life Member 6:58pm
melinda:

Haha, that will be fun
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:58pm
Ken From Hyde Park:

I hope there will be a nice duet to close next week's show.
  6:58pm
MplsCoco:

it is most definitely Know It All!
Avatar 6:59pm
Linda Lee:

wash that youngster's mouth out with virtual soap, ngh! :-D
Avatar 🤖 Swag For Life Member 6:59pm
Bas NL:

Thanks Mark!
Avatar 7:00pm
northguineahills:

Thanks Mark and Dr Robert!
Avatar 7:00pm
Linda Lee:

thanks Mark!
Avatar 7:00pm
geezerette:

My computer had a seizure for five minutes just now!
  7:01pm
Warren from Australia:

Thanks Mark!
Avatar 7:01pm
geezerette:

Thanks, Mark and pals!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 7:02pm
Michael 98145:

help, i'm a rock
Avatar Swag For Life Member 7:02pm
Mark Hurst:

Thanks, everyone! Have a great week.
Avatar 7:02pm
Linda Lee:

help, i'm a rock!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 7:03pm
Michael 98145:

heh
Avatar Swag For Life Member 7:03pm
Mark Hurst:

p.s. Bas, you can make it happen! :)
Avatar 7:03pm
Buddha of Suburbia:

Hello, I'm scissors. Who's paper?
Avatar 7:03pm
Linda Lee:

help, i'm a cop!!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 7:04pm
Mark Hurst:

OK, let's all move to Dan Bodah's playlist page!
Avatar 7:04pm
Buddha of Suburbia:

Hi everyone!
Avatar 7:04pm
geezerette:

Ha! I'm a rock too! :)
Avatar 7:04pm
future transport:

FREAK OUT !!!!!!!
Avatar Swag For Life Member 7:04pm
Michael 98145:

okay
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