Roboism
Roboism is a show mostly about robots. We are exploring how artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital assistants are affecting our culture. Come explore the humanity behind the bots that are quickly becoming a part of every day life. Hosted by Kathy Campbell and Alex Cox.
Episodes
80: Food Has No Alignment
79: Beach Dwelling Folk
78: Tupperware on Wheels
77: Cosplaying Servitude
76: Your OLED Screen is Not Out to Get You
75: A Woken Record
74: Who Knew Fascism Would Be the -ism?
73: No More Flesh Buddies
72: Pure Undiluted Kathy
71: Stroke the Button
70: Command-F for Bigotry
69: Microsoft is Daddy
68: Tech Yak
67: I Really Want a Tote Bag
Alex gives Kathy a rundown of their cautious optimism for visionOS, and how we can have more agency in this new era of computing. Becoming more cyborgian can mean we also learn how to be more human.
Kathy wants Alex to calm down because she's focused on preparing for Relay FM's annual Podcastathon to raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. TOMORROW, Friday, September 22nd!
Al
66: Crystal Ball Calculator
Kathy used ChatGPT, and Alex continues to use ChatGPT a lot more than they probably should.
(Recorded May 2023, when it was still the bird site.)
65: Stop Playing With the Pope
Kathy still hasn't used ChatGPT, but Alex remains optimistic about the bots.
(Recorded March 2023 in a pre-visionOS world!)
64: Car Penguin Tiger
Alex calls shenanigans on Sydney and Kevin's relationship, and Kathy brings some news from our friends making AIs in Ethical Edmonton!
63: A Glass Cat
With the help of a calculator panda, the business unicorn breaks her silence.
62: Get Those Yums
Alex and Kathy talked in December about Twitter. Hindsight sure is an interesting thing. They also celebrate no San Francisco Murder Bots, mourn the loss of the Mars Rover, and look forward to what might come next for the social Internet.
61: The Human Version of Ninja Turtles
Kathy and Alex share their squishy thoughts about the viral sensation of AI avatars, independent art, open-source software, and the late great turtles.
60: Children Need to Be Warned
Alex and Kathy discuss broken fingers, folding, and a fictosexual man in love with a hologram.
59: Click Bight
Alex and Kathy might want robots to have rights and bodily autonomy, but it would be nice if humans had it as well.
58: I Want the Chicken Nuggets
Alex and Kathy are convinced robots aren't coming to take our jobs...but they SHOULD be.
57: Monday Morning Political Consultant
Alex and Kathy discuss the likely overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the necessary access to the technology for safe abortions.
56: Elongated Muskrat
Webster's dictionary defines "muskrat" as "an aquatic rodent of the U.S. and Canada with a long scaly laterally compressed tail, webbed hind feet, dark glossy brown fur and Twitter's supreme agent of chaos.
55: Tech Isn't Forgiving
Alex and Kathy go on Display.
54: Titanic Salads
Alex and Kathy discuss why the TikTok bots continue to be in the midst of a period panic.
53: Finger Dancing
Alex introduces intriguing new inputs as Kathy tears through a typing test.
52: Not Bruno
Kathy and Alex are so here for Robot birds and British cyborgs, but they do NOT talk about Bruno.
51: Rose, Thorn, and Bud
Kathy and Alex try to figure out the best ways for each of them to be a human in 2022.
50: My Soul is Very Expensive
Kathy and Alex go meta on Meta's metaverse.
49: Cardigan Karens
Kathy comforts Alex as they share their concerns (dread) around The Seattle Delivery Company turning into The Seattle Surveillance Company.
48: Something Something Sherlock Joke
Alex and Kathy explore the media circus around Elizabeth Holmes, Theranos, and black turtlenecks.
47: A Forklift That Can't Outrun Humans
Alex and Kathy watch in horror as exploitative capitalism is used to soothe a man's ego with an expensive mannequin.
46: Bipples
Kathy is building a VERY big smart robot, and Alex wants to help.
45: The Bathroom is Australian
A guest co-host comes to assess the smart home situation in the Cox family apartment.
44: Woeboism
Alex flip flops on their opinion of therapy robots at least three times, and Kathy eloquently explains why the human brain is great, so it's important to take care of.
43: Beautiful Boston Bots
This week, Kathy takes Alex through a roller coaster of emotions involving an uncanny valley, dancing k-pop sensations, car company acquisitions, McDonald's marketing, and of course: economic -isms.
42: It's a Cesshole
Kathy brings a surprise bot topic to Alex, and soon they're down the rabbit hole of 3 sided shapes.
41: DubDubKay
Alex and Kathy give you the hard hitting, day old, exciting things about the WWDC Keynote.
40: We Both Need to Shower
This week, Alex and Kathy almost have something positive to say about social networks.
39: Plains, Trains, and Croissants
This week, Kathy found a bread robot that learned more than its creators intended, and Alex brings good news about bots from the recent past.
38: Triggering the Maestros
This week, Kathy enlists some help from friends of the show to make Alex's Mac into a joyful robot.
37: Capitalism With More Steps
This week, Alex tries tries (emphasis on *tries*) to adequately explain NFTs.
36: You Have a Patina
This week Alex and Kathy get into the weeds of what makes algorithms frustrating, how the users shape their own social networks, and what the tweens are up to.
35: Worse Than Ticket Master
This week, Kathy shares her experience with the current COVID-19 vaccine and healthcare bots, and Alex goes off brand and can't help but find a little bit of faith in humanity.
34: You’re Going to Be So Uncomfortable
Alex introduces Kathy Campbell, your new cohost and all around unicorn of a human. We learn her robot favorites, fears, and food goals.
33: Sweaty Building
Alex and Savannah discuss whether or not we need air-conditioning, business scarves, and personal temperature regulators.
32: A Fool Full of Regret
Alex and Savannah mourn the death of Jibo and other robotic friends, think about Tesla Homebrews, and continue to mull over the implications of the scoot scoot infestation.
31: Set to Dude
Alex and Savannah discuss the gender identity of voice assistants LIVE at C2E2!
30: Easier to Tax a Robot
Alex and Savannah want robots to take everyone's jobs (no, seriously).
29: Hello Gorgeous
This week, Alex and Savannah look forward to the multiplicity and shame a new sexist robot.
28: Normie Toilet
Savannah brings a smart toilet to Alex's attention, a backwards lady robot confronts the Polar Vortex, and there's a major update in the scoot scoot department.
27: How to Kiss Mr. Washington
Alex and Savannah get into robot researchers, robot grifters, and how it’s not great to make love to your money.
26: More R2D2, Less Roomba
This week, Alex and Savannah give you a blast from the past from their interview with roboticist Adrian Choy, who leads the engineering team at the Museum of Science and Industry's Robot Revolution exhibit.
25: The Apple Factories Are Still Gonna Exist
This week Alex talks to guest host Trin Garritano about the possibilities fora solarpunk future!
24: All These Metaphors Fall Apart
Alex brings her friend Vector into the studio to see if Savannah will save them from an grease fire.
23: You Need to Oil Its Tail
This week, Alex grills Savannah on her ability to anthropomorphize robots. Is she a monster? Let's find out!
22: Angry Most of the Time
This week, Savannah and Alex talk about focus and attention while not being able to focus on the topic of attention. The delve into internalized mysogyny, phantom taps, capitalism, and Animal Crossing. It ends up be cohesive. They promise.
21: It Came Out of Me Like a Tapeworm
This week, Alex and Savannah are joined by writer and game designer Karlee Esmailli about her most recent Kickstarter campaign, immigrant women in tech, and whether or not virtual reality will embrace the female gaze.
20: Boosty Scoot
This week Savannah and Alex are joined by special guest Matthew Cassinelli to talk more about electric scoot scoots, skateboards, bikes, and various municipal infrastructure problems (because that's the show now, apparently).
19: I Bought My iPad a Boyfriend
This week, Alex is joined by special guest Rosemary Orchard to talk about automation!
18: Throw Them in the River
This week, Savannah and Alex visit the Moxy studio and hotel to do a live show addressing Bond Villain Elon Musk, scooters as a superior form of transportation, and a surprise robot that's taking Kickstarter by storm!
We are in a tiny little booth so you can SORT OF hear the audience and bar, but ignore that and listen to us yell!
17: Two Dimensions is Enough: Live from C2E2 2018
Alex and Savannah host a LIVE episode of Roboism at the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo!
16: I Love Paper Towels
Alex and Savannah celebrate a belated Earth Day, and hope robots will be better than humans at taking care of our planet.
15: The New NEW
Alex brings on guest Kara Fagan so that she can blabber on about Google IO while Savannah is away.
14: Only Death and $10,000
Alex and Savannah are joined by some friends to talk about frozen brains and artificial consciousness.
13: Information Pores
This week, Alex tricks Savannah into recording, AND YOU SHOULD COME TO OUR LIVE SHOW IN CHICAGO!
12: A Little Spotty
Alex and Savannah talk about the end of the world and a theoretical Cyborg Olympics.
11: Can We Talk about Drugs on This Show?
Alex and special guest James T. Green discuss augmenting health with an Apple Watch, cynicism in tech, and how medication can be the most interesting technology we use on our bodies.
10: Drag Silicon Valley
This week, Alex and Savannah start off their second season with some light conversations about a socialist, utopian, post-work future.
9: A Cushier Butt, with Maria Ranahan of the Science Ambassador Scholarship
This week, Alex and Savannah talk to guest Maria Ranahan of Cards Against Humanity about the women's Science Ambassador Scholarship.
8: The Maroon 5 of Robots
This week, Alex and Savannah discuss robots in the news, corporate bionic implants, and the downfall of Charles Entertainment Cheese.
7: Fart Button
This week, Alex and Savannah try not to make this episode a total bummer.
6: An Expensive Fidget Spinner
This week, Alex introduces Savannah to a new robot friend after mourning the loss of a glorified Roomba.
5: The Stupidest Smart TV
This week, Alex and Savannah try out therapy chat bots and discuss our theoretic volcanic emotions. Also: Smart TVs.
4: A Single Piece of Toast
This week, Alex and Savannah talk about the ethical implications of creating the perfect piece of toast.
3: You Have to Be Invited In
Alex lets Savannah know about all the boring Apple news from WWDC.
2: The Bees Are Getting Angrier
This week, Savannah and Alex play with drones.
1: A Beautiful Smoosh Bot
This week, Savannah and Alex introduce themselves and talk about their newest robot obsessions.
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