Enchanting By Numbers (2015 version)

Benjamen Walker's Theory of Everything

Benjamen Walker & Radiotopia

Society & Culture, Personal Journals

4.4 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 9 October 2015

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We take another look at algorithms. Tim Hwang explains how Uber’s algorithms generate phantom cars and marketplace mirages. And we revisit our conversation with Christian Sandvig who, last year asked Facebook users to explain how they imagine the Edgerank algorithm works (this is the algorithm that powers Facebook’s news feed). Sandvig discovered that most of his subjects had no idea there even was an algorithm at work. Plus James Essinger and Suw Charman-Anderson, tell us about Ada Lovelace, the woman who wrote the first computer program (or as James puts it – Algorithm) in 1843.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to Benjamin Walker's Theory of Everything.
0:05.0	At Radiotopia, we now have a select group of amazing supporters that help us make all our shows possible. If you would like to have your company or
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0:21.4	fm. Thanks. Hey dear listener, it's me Benjamin Walker. I just
0:26.7	want to say a quick thank you to everyone who's already donated to support Radiotopia
0:32.4	and this show during our fall fundraiser.
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1:16.0	Head over to radiotopia.F.M slash donate and make your gift today. Thank you so much for listening and supporting this show.
1:27.0	You are listening to Benjamin Walker Theory of Everything.
1:31.0	This installment is called Enchanting by Numbers.
1:35.0	Last summer I did a number of podcasts about work and the sharing economy.
1:40.0	Or the exploitation economy is most of the people I talked with called it.
1:46.2	There's one thing though I wish I got in the series and that was a closer look at Uber's algorithms.
1:53.7	A few years ago, Travis Kalanek,
1:56.0	who's the CEO of Uber, said,
1:58.3	you know, we don't define the price.
2:01.2	There's a market and our algorithms sort of determine sort of what the what the
	...

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