In this last episode of Familiar Shapes, we’ll look at the brighter sides of the history of witchcraft, as well as efforts to make sure digital technologies are safe and equitable. We’ll say a fond farewell to our speakers – and launch ourselv

20. Tools of the Art

Sep 2nd, 2020 28m 27s

In this second-to-last episode of Familiar Shapes, we’ll look at magical thinking in the digital age. We may not all be chaos magicians, but yelling at broken machines sure feels good. In this episode Heather Freeman interviews:Dr. John Callow,

19. The Ethical Machine

Aug 26th, 2020 32m 58s

We consider the moral challenges of big data, machine learning, and the need for ethics in computer science and information technology.In this episode Heather Freeman interviews:Susan Etlinger, industry analyst for the Altimeter GroupDr. Dougla

18. Judge Thy Neighbor

Aug 19th, 2020 19m 23s

This week’s episode focuses on the research of Dr. Patrick Bergemann, which was the basis of his 2019 book Judge Thy Neighbor: Denunciations in the Spanish Inquisition, Romanov Russia, and Nazi Germany. Heather Freeman interviews: Prof. Patrick

17. Addicted to You

Aug 12th, 2020 30m 40s

We consider solutions to the social media monsters we all feed — even if only a few of us are their creators. In this episode Heather Freeman interviews:Susan Etlinger, industry analyst for the Altimeter Group;Dr. Douglas Guilbeault Assistant P

16. I Still Believe

Aug 5th, 2020 18m 6s

When and why did the early modern witch trials end — or did they? In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews: Dr. John Callow, Visiting Lecturer at the University of SuffolkProf. Owen Davies Reader in Social History at the University of Hertfo

15. Cambridge Analytica

Jul 29th, 2020 30m 44s

It’s been said that personal data is the new oil. Just a few years ago, companies like Cambridge Analytica bought user data from social media companies to create hyper-targeted political ads. Cambridge Analytica isn’t around anymore, but the pr

14. Gothic Clickbait

Jul 22nd, 2020 32m 22s

Racy, frightening, and sensationalist, early modern pamphlets about witch trials were the clickbait of their day. And just like clickbait today, they shaped popular beliefs in dangerous ways.In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews: Dr. John

13. Easy Breezy Bots

Jul 15th, 2020 23m 59s

It’s incredibly easy to build a bot. And incredibly hard to track down their makers. In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews:Dr. Douglas Guilbeault Assistant Professor in the Management of Organizations, University of California - Berkeley

12. The Exceptional Witchfinder

Jul 8th, 2020 34m 50s

We check out the legal structures surrounding the early modern witch trials and consider how Matthew Hopkins, the infamous 17th-century ‘Witchfinder General’, was himself pestered him by diabolic familiars. In this episode, Heather Freeman inte

11. Faux

Jul 1st, 2020 36m 59s

In this episode of Familiar Shapes, we dig into the very heart of this entire series: misinformation. What exactly is it? How do we distinguish it from true information? And how is dangerous, false information spread on social media? In this ep

10. Witchy Women

Jun 24th, 2020 28m 20s

Who was accused of witchcraft? Mostly women. But for reasons that are both predictable and surprising.In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews:Dr. John Callow, Visiting Lecturer at the University of SuffolkProf. Owen Davies Reader in Social

9. Learned Machines

Jun 17th, 2020 36m 38s

In this episode, we look at some of the more sophisticated bots, from those that employ Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, to those that employ -- well, human beings.In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews:Dr. Nicholas Christakis

8. Anatomy of a Familiar

Jun 10th, 2020 24m 52s

What exactly was the early modern witch’s familiar? Was it a cuddly pet or a malevolent demon? In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews:Dr. John Callow, Visiting Lecturer at the University of SuffolkDr. Vikki Carr, an independent scholar res

7. Fool Me Once

Jun 3rd, 2020 23m 9s

Note to Listeners - DOH! I managed to upload an incorrect version and just realized that now. Classy. Your welcome. If you already listened to it, really sorry about those audio errors. And if you haven't listened yet -- excellent! And if you

Bonus

6.1 Addendum - Present and Dangerous Disinfo

Jun 2nd, 2020 3m 40s

This is an important note to listeners. Disinfo campaigns are happening right now on social media, amidst national protests, demonstrations, and the on-going pandemic. It's up to each of us to fact check the things we see before we share them.

6. My Buddy Luridan

May 27th, 2020 27m 8s

We’ll see what early modern grimoires tell us about the magical beliefs and practices of that era. And then we’ll take a gander at summoning Luridan the Familiar. (You know. For kicks.)In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews: Dr. John Call

5. The Well-Intentioned Bot

May 20th, 2020 26m 2s

We’ll look at how social bots interact with people in on-line social networks, and how sometimes people behave like, well, bots. In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews:Susan Etlinger, industry analyst for the Altimeter Group;Alex Hogan Man

4. The Cunning Folks' Commons

May 13th, 2020 37m 12s

Who were the early modern cunning folk, and what exactly were they doing with all those books? And how do we act ethically in a community and avoid the 'Tragedy of the Commons'?In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews:Dr. John Callow, Visiti

3. Magical Networks

May 6th, 2020 31m 6s

What did early modern people really think about magic? And how do on-line spaces differ from real-world spaces?In this episode, Heather Freeman interviews:Dr. Vikki Carr, an independent scholar researching witchcraft beliefs of Early Modern Eng

2. Tay and John Walsh

Apr 29th, 2020 26m 45s

Tay is a bot-gone-wrong and John Walsh was a cunning-man accused of witchcraft. Their stories are chased with a crash course in the history of information technologies. Filmmaker Heather Freeman interviews Owen Davies (University of Hertfordsh

1. Magnum Opus Postmortem

Apr 20th, 2020 27m 32s

What do you do when Covid-19 kills the context of your feature documentary film? You turn it into a podcast, apparently. Filmmaker Heather Freeman interviews Owen Davies (University of Hertfordshire), Marion Gibson (University of Exeter), Dougl

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