Shows
I Don't Know Much6. Did you know you're being watched? Consent Theatre with Cory DoctorowCory Doctorow is a digital rights activist, a podcaster, and a writer. Cory speaks with conviction against commercial data practices, which he views as opaque and untrustworthy. Cory recently wrote an article on consent theatre, [1] a concept that explains the strategies used by data-based companies to obfuscate the depth of their surveillance practices to acquire unwitting consent of their users.
[1] Cory Doctorow, “Consent Theater,” Medium, 2021, https://onezero.medium.com/consent-theater-a32b98cd8d96.2022-08-2458 min
I Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know About Mental Health Predictors of Risky Driving (with Dr. Nevicia Case)Risky driving includes speeding, tailgating, and failing to come to a full stop, all of which increase injury risk. Investigating what leads to risky driving, like mental health disorders such as depressed mood and alcohol abuse, is important for implementing interventions that help limit road traffic crashes. Dr. Nevicia Case discusses the findings from her most recent study that examined the mental health disorders and driving behaviours over time of individuals with previous driving under the influence offences.2022-08-1732 min
I Don't Know Much5. In Google We Trust - Being Used By Technology vs. Using Technology with Dr. Darin BarneyDr Darin Barney is a professor at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. His work examines the future of digital technologies in democratic life, [1] the state of citizenship is a digitally integrated society, [2] and the infrastructure of network societies. [3] Our discussion revolved around concerns of digital governance over social and political life, [4] algorithmic fragmentation of social reality, [5] and the commercialization of data as treating users as standing-reserve. [6]
[1] Darin David Barney, Prometheus Wired: The Hope for Democracy in the Age of Network Technology (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2000).
[2] Darin David Barney, One Nation under Google: Citizenship in the Technological...2022-08-0539 minI Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know About Self-Driving Cars (with Atrisha Sarkar)Atrisha Sarkar, PhD candidate in Computer Science at University of Waterloo, Canada, helps us understand what a self-driving car is, how we test them, and why understanding human behaviour is important for this process. We also discuss game theory and how it has been used in her work to model human behaviour for autonomous vehicles.
Important links: Atrisha Sarkar, WISE lab, Responsibility-Sensitive Safety2022-07-2755 min
I Don't Know Much4. Digital Feudalism with Dr. Cheney-LippoldDr. John Cheney-Lippold is an assistant professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA. His work uses a variety of philosophical concepts to provide an ontological review of the intersections between commercial and domestic surveillance, identity profiling, cultural participation, and the processes of becoming. [1] Dr Cheney-Lippold’s concept Algorithmic Identity illustrates how the intensity of identity profiling in commercial surveillance practices curates an identity based sense of reality for digital technology users. [2] Dr Cheney-Lippold reflects this new mode of media distribution that utilizes data to target identity categories deserves significant ontological considerations.
[1] John Ch...2022-07-2225 minI Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know About Running to Give (with Run to Give)Are you a runner and looking for a community? Are you looking for a new low-cost activity? This episode discusses all things running from some local runners: how to get started, the mental, physical, and social benefits of running that they have experienced, and much more! Join me and Run To Give Co-founders Aarty, Doug, and Madi, who discuss their running journeys and their virtual charity run that you can set as your new walk or run goal or simply donate to support the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario!2022-07-1442 min
I Don't Know Much3. Smartphone and Social Media Addiction with Dr. Hannah MieczkowskiHannah Mieczkowski is a recent PhD graduate in Psychology at Stanford University, USA. Hannah’s research epistemologically challenges knowledge claims made by social media researchers.[1] Hannah suggests that problematic smartphone use may be symptomatic of pre-existing mental health conditions that an individual pacifies through smartphone use.
[1] Hannah Mieczkowski, Angela Lee, and Jeffrey Hancock, “Priming Effects of Social Media Use Scales on Well-Being Outcomes: The Influence of Intensity and Addiction Scales on Self-Reported Depression,” November 25, 2020, 10.1177/2056305120961784.2022-07-0818 min
I Don't Know Much2. What are you and what can you be? Symbolic Interactionism, Agency, and Bad Faith Politics with Dr. Alan SearsDr Alan Sears is a Professor of Sociology at Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada. He can speak with authority on sociological concepts that aid in illustrating the Cycles in Algorithmic Cultivation concept, such as agency and symbolic interactionism. Both of these concepts are important in aiding considerations about algorithmic cultivation. Symbolic interactionism is a theoretical framework that explains how cultures are formed through groups of values and behaviours that constitute a symbolic world. [1]
Symbolic interactionism is also concerned with how the range of symbols within a culture demands performative behaviours for cultural inclusion, and how these demands in...2022-07-0136 min
I Don't Know Much1. An Introduction to Bad Faith Cycles and Algorithmic CultivationBad Faith Cycles in Algorithmic Cultivation, an interview-based podcast series that explores identity, defined as who we are and what we do, and agency, defined as the sum total range of potential actions or our ability to make a difference, in our contemporary digitally and algorithmically mediated lives.2022-06-2420 min
I Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know How Climate Change Impacts Supply Chains (Part 3 with Treyton Zary)Listen to part 1 and 2 to learn about our guest, Treyton Zary, how climate change impacts supply chains, what organizations are or are not doing about it, and the specific adaptations they can make.
Part 3 topics:
00:10 - Continuation: small vs large organization adaptations (and the bullwhip effect)
01:15 - Impact on public health
08:20 - Positive changes that have been made and the vaccine cold chain
17:30 - Where you can find more on this topic!
Learn more about Treyton and his research here: Twitter: @treytonzary, visit treytonzary.ca2022-06-0322 minI Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know How Climate Change Impacts Supply Chains (Part 2 with Treyton Zary)Listen to part 1 to learn about our guest, Treyton Zary, and some of the basics of supply chains and the many ways in which climate change impacts supply chains!
Part 2 topics:
00:10 - Continuation: What are organizations in the supply chain doing about this?
14:00 - Real changes or greenwashing? (with examples)
24:00 - How an organization’s adaptations/reduced emissions are measured
31:40 - Small vs large organization adaptations (and the bullwhip effect)
Learn more about Treyton and his research here: Twitter: @treytonzary, visit treytonzary.ca2022-06-0237 minI Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know How Climate Change Impacts Supply Chains (Part 1 with Treyton Zary)Treyton Zary (Bachelor of Commerce, University of Saskatchewan) gives us a three-part crash lesson on the ways that climate change (long term temperature and weather pattern shifts) will and are affecting the food on our shelves, the packages we look for in the mail, food security, water security, and much more. We also discuss what organizations are currently doing and not doing to tackle these problems.
Part 1 topics:
02:48 - Supply chains
13:15 - Climate change
15:45 - How does climate change impact supply chains?
39:30 - What are organizations in the supply...2022-06-0144 minI Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know If Your Phone Is Listening To You (with Calvin Hillis)Is my phone listening to me? At this point, we have all asked ourselves this question. In this episode, Calvin Hillis, MA in Communication and New Media, helps us dive into this question. We discuss how your phone might be listening, the reasons why, and our personal experiences with this. From a public health perspective, this question tackles a level of surveillance that many of us are not comfortable with which can affect our well being and our idea of safety. But do we need to worry about it?
Listen to the Bad Faith Cycles in Algorithmic C...2022-05-1144 minI Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know About Forensic Science (with Kimberlee Moran)It’s forensic science time! Kimberlee Moran joins me in this episode where she tells us what forensic science is, how it's different from crime scene investigation, the conviction process related to forensics, and the coolest thing she’s seen on the job! We also learn about the difference between a medical examiner and a coroner, and how the forensic science landscape is changing in the US.
Helpful links for more info: Kimberlee Moran, Death Investigations, Forensic Science, NAS 2009 Report2022-04-0656 minI Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know About Menstrual Cups (Part 2 with Dr. Jacques Balayla)Dr. Jacques Balayla (OB/GYN, McGill University) joins me in another episode about women’s health - this time we discuss menstrual cups! What are they? What are the pros and cons of using them? Is it an easy transition to make from current products? All of these questions and many more are answered in this episode! Listen for Part 2 with Dr. Jacques Balayla!
More from Dr. Balayla: Vox article - Uterine transplants, TEDxMcGill - Moving the Womb2022-03-3019 minI Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know About Toxic Shock Syndrome (Part 1 with Dr. Jacques Balayla)Dr. Jacques Balayla (OB/GYN, McGill University) joins me in a *shocking* episode all about Toxic Shock Syndrome! What is it? How can anyone get TSS? How is it related to menstrual product use? Can you sleep with a tampon in? All of these questions and many more are answered in this episode! Listen for Part 1 with Dr. Jacques Balayla!
More from Dr. Balayla: Vox article - Uterine transplants, TEDxMcGill - Moving the Womb2022-03-2323 minI Don't Know MuchSeason 3 TrailerWhat to expect in Season 3 of IDKM!2022-03-1601 minI Don't Know MuchBut I Do Know What's In Your Tap WaterIn this episode we discuss exactly how water gets from the source to your tap and everything that may be added to it to make it drinkable (in Toronto). We emphasize the addition of fluoride to tap water, something that has occurred in Canada since 1945. We answer questions like: What are the health benefits of fluoridated water? Does fluoride whiten your teeth? Does it pose any danger to us? What is fluorosis? Listen and find out the answers to the great fluoride debate!
Sources: Tap Water in Toronto, Canadian Drinking Water, The Fluoride Debate, Toxicity of Fluoride2022-03-1638 min
I Don't Know Much8. But I do know about vapingAn electronic cigarette (e-cigarette or vape) is an electronic device that simulates tobacco smoking. Vapes contain nicotine and were designed by smokers to aid in quitting cigarettes. While vapes are useful for this goal, fancy flavors, and their convenience, could be drawing those to the device that would not have smoked in the first place. I break down everything you need to know about vaping with Sherald Sanchez, Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Toronto who is designing of youth vaping cessation methods for those interested in quitting vaping! We learn about the current landscape of vaping research...2021-08-2543 min
I Don't Know Much7. But I do know about birth controlWhat hormonal birth control options are available - other than the pill? Are there any birth control options that don’t use hormones? How close are we to having male birth control? In this episode, I sit down with Neta Pipko, a Bachelor of Science Graduate from McMaster University. We come to the table with researched information on what’s happening to our body on hormonal birth control and what you need to think about when deciding which birth control option is right for you.
Music by Stan Forebee2021-08-1831 min
I Don't Know Much6. But I do know about COVID-19 updatesAs the world starts to open back up, there are a few remaining questions on all of our minds. Will we need to get a booster shot? Will there be a fourth wave? Will I be able to travel again if I have two different mRNA vaccines? Are there going to be long-term side effects of the vaccines? In this episode, I sit down with Calvin Hillis, a producer on I don’t know much Podcast, to answer these questions and so much more.
Disclaimer: COVID-19 numbers may be different than what we are experiencing today as the...2021-08-1129 min
I Don't Know Much5. But I do know about antibiotic resistanceAntibiotic resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health. Antibiotics are drugs used to treat bacterial infections. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria develop mechanisms to survive in the presence of these drugs. In this episode, I sit down with Jim Howes, a Master of Science Candidate at McMaster University studying antibiotic drug discovery. We discuss what antibiotics are, how antibiotic resistance develops, and resistance as a global health crisis. Our conversation ends on an optimistic note as we discuss how researchers are attempting to solve this problem and what a day in the life of a Master’s...2021-08-0441 min
I Don't Know Much4. But I do know about the environmental impact of healthcareDespite the oath to ‘do no harm’, healthcare continues to be one of the most polluting industries on the planet. As the world’s economies struggle to meet the climate goals set out in the Paris Climate Agreement, Canadian policy makers and health leaders must place a new emphasis on promoting environmental sustainability within our healthcare system. I sit down with Kathryn McQuillan and John Collins, two students at McMaster University, to discuss the findings of a report we wrote that examined our Canadian healthcare impact on the environment. We examine two sources of healthcare pollution: greenhouse gas emissions and he...2021-07-2845 min
I Don't Know Much3. But I do know about science communicationScience communication is the practice of informing, educating, and raising awareness of science-related topics. In this episode, Veronica Tran of the Instagram account @veroni.sci takes us through the journey of creating her own science communication social media account. She addresses what she thinks makes up an effective science communicator and why the public should engage with science. In the fall, as she navigates graduate school, we can expect to see lab-related content as she takes us on her journey through science. We also talk about her Instagram reading account, @veroni.reads, and dish about our favourite genres, reading...2021-07-2128 min
I Don't Know Much2. But I do know about traumatic brain injuryBrain injury is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Matthew Galati, a practicing physician that suffered a severe traumatic brain injury during medical school. Matt and I discuss his recovery process, his journey back into medical school after his injury, and the things we can do to live a brain healthy lifestyle. We also discuss Brain Changes Initiative, the non-profit organization he founded. Brain Changes is leading the change in spreading awareness about TBI’s and TBI recovery, and putting the 5 pillars of brain health into practice.
Mu...2021-07-1455 min
I Don't Know Much1. But I do know about gender bias for healthcare professionalsNavigating the surgical backlogs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic will require changes to the healthcare system and its systemic sexism. As pointed out in the CTVNews article “Gender bias against female surgeons fuelling surgical backlogs”, gender biases influencing referrals to female surgeons may be contributing to the long wait-times that patients are having to face when confronted with a surgical procedure. Referral biases are not just occurring with females, but are also occurring with practitioners of colour, LGBTQ2S+, and new graduates. Kristyn Guglielmin, a Master of Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization student at McMaster University joins me for a conv...2021-07-0724 min
I Don't Know Much9. But Dr. Caitlin Mullarkey does - Part 2As the world continues to get vaccinated every day for COVID-19, there are a few remaining questions about COVID-19 immunity. In this final episode of season 1, I end off my discussion with Dr. Caitlin Mullarkey. She answers a few questions involving the four-month wait period between vaccine doses, and why the second dose of the vaccine might result in worse symptoms than the first dose. We also get to hear Dr. Mullarkey’s thoughts on vaccine communication efforts in the media! 2021-05-2625 min
I Don't Know Much8. But Dr. Caitlin Mullarkey does - Part 1Rigorous COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials preceded the approval of each vaccine. In this episode, I speak with Dr. Caitlin Mullarkey, an Assistant Professor at McMaster University with a research background in virology and vaccine development. We talk about her experience as a participant in the Medicago COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial in Canada. She answers questions about the specific vaccine technology, what the process was like, the next steps, and some of her reasons for participating. Listen to uncover behind-the-scenes action of the COVID-19 vaccine trial process and some other cool information on vaccine development!2021-05-1934 min
I Don't Know Much7. But I do know about COVID-19 vaccine distributionCOVID-19 vaccine distribution has looked different across the globe. In this episode, we address COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Canada and dive into the tough ethical questions that distribution task forces have to answer. Questions like: What population groups should be prioritized after front-line healthcare workers and the elderly? How important is speed? Where will children be placed once vaccines are approved for lower age groups? These questions and many more are posed to help us think about the dilemmas of vaccine distribution plans. And finally, we discuss exactly what COVAX is.2021-05-1227 min
I Don't Know Much6. But I do know about COVID-19 vaccine misinformation - Part 3The authorization of the vaccines for COVID-19 has amplified the misinformation being spread about the vaccines and the pandemic. Part 3 of addressing misinformation will answer questions related to the false claims on the vaccine’s ability to track us, alter our DNA, and make us sterile. It will also discuss digital content funnels to understand why we all see different information related to COVID-19 and vaccines on the internet. And finally, it will address the question we all had at some point throughout this pandemic: is COVID-19 like the flu?2021-05-0529 min
I Don't Know Much5. But I do know about COVID-19 adenovirus vector vaccinesAdenovirus vector vaccines have recently become available for COVID-19 immunization, however, there is lots of discussion surrounding their safety. In this episode, I discuss the science behind adenovirus vector vaccines, their safety and effectiveness in preventing COVID-19, rare blood clot development related to their distribution, and why they were restricted for use in some populations.2021-04-2816 min
I Don't Know MuchIntroduction and DisclaimerLaunch introduction and disclaimer for 'I don't know much' with Miranda2021-02-0501 min
I Don't Know Much4. But I do know about COVID-19 vaccine misinformation - Part 2The authorization of the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 has amplified the misinformation being spread about the vaccines and the pandemic. In this episode, I address questions surrounding why vaccination is important for herd immunity, the COVID-19 testing process, and the new B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant. The B.1.1.7 variant that was first detected in the United Kingdom is separate from other emerging variants. This episode addresses the B.1.1.7 variant only. Producer: Calvin Hillis2021-01-3112 min
I Don't Know Much3. But I do know about COVID-19 vaccine misinformation - Part 1The authorization of the mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 has amplified the misinformation being spread about the vaccines and the pandemic. In this episode, I address questions surrounding the rumors and misconceptions of the vaccine development process, as well as some of the misinformation that has spread about the aftermath of receiving the vaccine. Producer: Calvin Hillis2021-01-3111 min
I Don't Know Much1. But I do know about vaccinesWith the release of two new vaccines authorized for preventing COVID-19 infection, I wanted to discuss some of the basics of vaccines and address questions that surround vaccination. This episode will discuss what vaccines are, the most common types of vaccines, and why we may need to get vaccinated more than once. Producer: Calvin Hillis2021-01-3113 min
I Don't Know Much2. But I do know about COVID-19 mRNA vaccinesThe breakthroughs of mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 have demonstrated how fast science can work when there are no limits of funding or disease prevalence. In this episode, I discuss the science behind mRNA vaccines, the approval and regulatory process of these vaccines for COVID-19 infection prevention, and the ingredients of the vaccines. In this episode and the remaining episodes, I address the SARS-CoV-2 as 'COVID-19' which I use broadly when I talk about the virus and the respiratory illness that follows infection. Producer: Calvin Hillis2021-01-3119 min