Reflector

What if the next great leap in computing wasn't made of silicon — but of living human brain cells? Reporter Greg Warner takes us inside the lab of Hon Weng Chong, an Australian computer engineer who has built a biological computer: a device that houses actual human neurons in a petri dish, teaches them to play Pong using reward and punishment, and is now being sold to medical researchers, crypto gamers, and roboticists with very big dreams. Along the way, Andy and Greg dig into what these cells might actually feel, why the path to artificial general intelligence might run through a robot's skin rather than its brain, and what it would mean to one day stick a chip of pre-programmed neurons back into a human head. It's weird, it's a little smelly, and it might be the future.

THIS EPISODE FEATURES:

Hon Weng Chong - CEO and founder of Cortical Labs

Dr. Minas Liarokapis - CEO/CTO of Acumino Inc., Director of the New Dexterity Research Group

LINKS:

Cortical Labs

Acumino

Dishbrain Paper - In vitro neurons learn and exhibit sentience when embodied in a simulated game-world⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

CREDITS:

This episode was reported and produced by Greg Warner, Andy Mills, Simon Adler, and Matthew Boll

Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠

Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll
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The final chapter of Reflector’s tour of LGBTQ activism examines some of the controversies currently roiling society—starting with a look at one of the most contentious subjects in American history: sex education. With interviews with some of the minds behind the National Sex Education Standards, reporter Ben Kawaller offers a rare look into the philosophical underpinnings of the new ideas about sex and gender that have taken root throughout American society, what they reveal about the tensions between “gay” and “queer,” and what they might spell for the future of the movement—and for America.

THIS EPISODE FEATURES:Dr. Eva Goldfarb – Professor of Public Health at Montclair State University.Madelaine Adelman – Justice Studies professor at Arizona State University and former GLSEN board member.Alison Macklin – Policy and advocacy director at Sex Ed for Social Change (SIECUS).Jennifer Finney Boylan – Transgender author, former president of PEN America and former contributing opinion writer for the New York Times.Ben Appel – Journalist and author of Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic.Dana Beyer – Early transgender advocate.Herndon Graddick – Former president of GLAAD.Lorri Jean – Former CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.

LINKS:Too Hot to Handle: A Global History of Sex Ed by Jonathan Zimmerman

The National Sex Education Standards

Rights, Respect, Responsibility: A K–12 Sex Education Curriculum

CREDITS:This episode of Reflector was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Ben Kawaller, Simon Adler, Ethan Mannello, and Seth Temple Andrews.

Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠⁠

Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ with assistance from ChatGPT
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can hear Part 3 of this series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by visiting us ⁠here

Part two of Reflector’s dive into the LGBTQ+ movement picks up with the arrival of the Qs…and all that came after. Featuring interviews with prominent trans advocates and former leaders of major LGBTQ groups, episode 2 reveals the philosophical differences lurking beneath the surface within this alliance of non-conformists. With his usual immunity from embarrassment, Ben Kawaller explores how a movement for civil rights became a project to shape society’s understanding of sex and gender.

THIS EPISODE FEATURES:Dana Beyer – Early transgender rights advocate.Dr. Susan Stryker – Professor Emerita of Gender and Women’s Studies at Arizona State University.Lorri Jean – Former CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.Herndon Graddick – Former president of GLAAD.Ben Appel – Journalist and author of Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic.Jennifer Finney Boylan – Transgender author, former president of PEN America and former contributing opinion writer for the New York Times.Leor Sapir – Journalist and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.Matthew McMurrow – Gay activist and adviser to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York and former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

LINKS:When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment by Ryan T. Anderson

Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic by Ben Appel

The Man Who Would Be Queen: The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism by J. Michael Bailey

Cleavage: Men, Woman, and the Space Between Us by Jennifer Finney Boylan

Galileo's Middle Finger: Heretics, Activists, and the Search for Justice in Science by Alice Dreger

Crossing: A Memoir by Deirdre Nansen McCloskey

The End of the Gay Rights Revolution: How Hubris and Overreach Threaten Gay Freedom by Ronan McCrea

Gay Shame: The Rise of Gender Ideology and the New Homophobia by Gareth Roberts

TRANS/GRESSIVE: How Transgender Activists Took on Gay Rights, Feminism, the Media & Congress… and Won! by Riki WilchinsGLAAD Media Reference Guide: Glossary of Terms

CREDITS:This episode of Reflector was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Ben Kawaller, Simon Adler, Ethan Mannello, and Seth Temple Andrews.

Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠⁠

Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can hear Part 2 and 3 of this series right now when you become a Longview subscriber by visiting us here

Reflector goes gay with a three-part look at the movement known as LGBTQ. Episode one looks at how homosexuals went from being social outcasts in post-war America to the 21st century’s most successful civil rights story and what happened when transgender activists started getting in on the action. With humility, humor, and an almost compulsive lack of piety, reporter Ben Kawaller explores the origin story of one of the most polarizing abbreviations of the modern age, telling the story of how gays and lesbians became LGBT.

THIS EPISODE FEATURES:Dana Beyer – Early transgender rights advocate.Herndon Graddick – Former president of GLAAD.Lorri Jean – Former CEO of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.Ben Appel – Journalist and author of Cis White Gay: The Making of a Gender Heretic.Jamison Green – Early transgender rights advocate.

LINKS:⁠

The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America⁠ by Charles Kaiser⁠Beyond Queer: Challenging Left Orthodoxy⁠, Ed. Bruce Bawer⁠Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington⁠ by James Kirchick⁠How to Survive a Plague⁠ by David France

CREDITS:This episode of Reflector was reported and produced by Andy Mills, Matthew Boll, Ben Kawaller, Simon Adler, Ethan Mannello, and Seth Temple Andrews.

Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠⁠

Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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From abolitionists to the Tea Party, accusations of “paid protesters” have shadowed American political movements for centuries. But what if the reality is more nuanced (and more interesting) than the talking points suggest?

In this episode, Andy Mills sits down with Adam Swart, founder and CEO of Crowds on Demand, a company that quite literally pays people to demonstrate. Swart pulls back the curtain on an industry most people encounter only as a conspiracy theory, explaining how his business actually works.

As you’ll hear, Swart makes his provocative case that the “astroturf vs. grassroots” debate is a juvenile distraction. He believes that most major movements, left or right, have big money behind them, and that his company is simply one of the more transparent players in the influence game.

We’d love to hear if (and how) this interview shapes your thinking around the debate. Leave us a comment or send us an email: [email protected]

CREDITS:

This episode was produced by Andy Mills, Ethan Mannello and Matthew Boll

Music for this episode was composed by ⁠⁠⁠Cobey Bienert⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Peter Lalish⁠⁠

Reflector artwork by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jacob Boll⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

To become a Longview subscriber you can visit us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you to our sponsor Ground News. You can visit them here to learn more:

⁠⁠⁠⁠GROUND.NEWS
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