Podcast: Project Ideas, Reading Reduction & Tips, Theory Skepticism (Conference Call 9/10)

Terry from Franklin, Indiana, recalls a moment of confusion when she was working on a horse farm in south-central Pennsylvania. She asked a co-worker, "Are we going to let the stallions out today?" The co-worker responded, "No, they're already in." Terry says the conversation devolved into “Who's On First?” routine, because Terry didn’t understand that in that part of the United States, where the dialect is heavily influenced by German, let can mean “leave.” Other expressions heard in that area include leave the horse go or leave the book sit, all reflecting the multiple meanings of the German verb lassen. http://waywordradio.org

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The rare adjective finifugal describes someone “averse to endings” or “wishing something could go on forever,” whether it’s a book, a beloved TV series, a podcast, or anything else you don’t want to end. It comes from Latin finis, “end,” and fuga, “flight.” http://waywordradio.org

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Ekphrasis is the literary device of depicting a visual work with a verbal description. A new anthology, Ensnaring the Moment: On the Intersection of Poetry and Photography, gathers the ekphrastic poetry of more than 100 poets writing specifically in response to photographs. Edited by art critic Leah Ollman, this collection treats poems as gateways into images, and images as doorways into memory. In the poem “Things that Lose by Being Photographed” by Rebecca Lindenberg succinctly conjures a winter scene with moonlight sugaring snow, two people dancing slowly, and a penny-colored dog shifting paws in the cold—a moment captured in a photograph that becomes a tender meditation on ordinary beauty. This poem is shared with permission of the poet. http://waywordradio.org

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To describe something tiny or insignificant compared with something vast, you might reach for phrases like a drop in the ocean or a drop in the bucket. In Mandarin, there’s an equally picturesque phrase that translates as nine cows, one hair. Imagine nine large, shaggy oxen and then just a single hair among them. Now that’s tiny! http://waywordradio.org

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A Southern California resort for nudists—or naturists, as some prefer to be called—had a recent change of management, and residents received a notice that the place will now become a textile park. The word textile is often used in that community as an adjective to distinguish between those who prefer clothing and those who make a habit of going without. http://waywordradio.org

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As long as there has been photographic and video imagery, there have been manipulated videos and photos. But only in the last decade or so have the public become aware of what are known as “deepfakes”, computer or AI generated fake images, often of celebrities. The spread of deepfake imagery raises questions about truth and authenticity online – can we still trust what we see on screen?

To discuss deepfakes, and the idea of trust and authenticity in the digital sphere more broadly, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Dr Gili Vidan, Assistant Professor of Information Science at Cornell University’s Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Avan Fata.

Further reading and resources

•	Robert Chesney & Danielle K. Citron, Deep Fakes: A Looming Challenge for Privacy, Democracy, and National Security,107 California Law Review 1753 (2019).
•	Habgood-Coote, Joshua (2023). Deepfakes and the epistemic apocalypse. Synthese 201 (3):1-23.

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The Ballpark will be ten years old in 2026, and we want to hear from you to make the podcast even better, so we’re running a listener survey until 1 November 2025. 

•	Fill in our listener survey – it only takes 15 minutes – here: https://forms.office.com/e/Vcj8V8uGM1 
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LSE: The Ballpark | AI and deepfakes with Dr Gili Vidan

It seems every week we hear a new report of a cyber-attack. Recent examples include the hacks on Marks and Spencer's, Jaguar Land Rover, and the Co-op, all causing massive economic disruption.    

While these attacks seem to have come from cyber criminals working within the UK rather than other nation states, they highlight the destruction that cyber-attacks can wreak. What if those attacks were on our critical infrastructure? Our national grid? Our water supply? Is the UK prepared? 

Charlotte Kelloway meets former Director of Operations and Intelligence for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Nigel Inkster, who discusses when a cyber-attack could constitute a declaration of war.  

She also talks to former Director Cyber in the Foreign Office and Associate Dean for Strategic Development at the LSE School of Public Policy Professor Alexander Evans about what the UK is doing defensively and offensively to prevent cyber-attacks.  

Dr Lauren Sukin from Nuffield College at the University of Oxford explains why there is a lack of regulation in the cyberwar space and explores if depictions of cyberwar in the media are realistic.  

Contributors: Professor Alexander Evans, Dr Lauren Sukin, Nigel Inkster    

Research links:  

Lauren Sukin: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00220027231153580  

Nigel Inkster: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Decoupling-Struggle-Technological-Supremacy/dp/1787383830  

LSE iQ is a university podcast by the London School of Economics and Political Science.  

Will the next World War be a cyberwar?

From the bestselling author of Body into Balance, clinical herbalist Maria Noël Groves​ offers a comprehensive guide to the best herbs and natural practices to boost your gut microbiome, decrease your risk of chronic disease, and alleviate conditions like SIBO, leaky gut, irritable bowel syndrome, and GERD.

A healthy gut is the key to good overall health—both physical and mental—and researchers are beginning to uncover the links between an unbalanced gut microbiome and chronic conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, and cancer.

As a clinical herbalist with decades of experience, Maria Noël Groves has helped patients of all ages resolve their digestive complaints and related health issues by teaching them how to adopt healthier dietary habits, employ herbs to alleviate digestive issues and improve digestion, and incorporate balanced lifestyle practices—resolving their diseases and dramatically improving their quality of life.

Herbal Gut Health by Maria Noel Groves read by Tiffany Smith

Reclaim your life from the relentless cycle of narcissistic abuse with this clear, actionable four-step plan.

There is no winning with a narcissistic partner—and no one should have to play their game to survive. In Break Up with Narcissism, Dr. Alina Kastner, renowned systemic psychotherapist and expert in narcissistic relationships, delivers the ultimate guide to freeing yourself from narcissistic abuse.

For anyone who feels trapped, hopeless, or broken in their relationship, this book offers a lifeline. With empathy and expert insight, Dr. Kastner exposes the damaging myths that promise change if you “just try harder” and replaces them with an accessible four-step framework:

Recognize the abuse dynamic
Protect your emotional health
Break free
Heal

Blending professional guidance with the compassionate tone of a nurturing friend, Break Up with Narcissism is the empowering roadmap to rediscovering your strength, your worth, and the joy of being fully yourself again. This is your beginning—and your breakthrough.

Break Up with Narcissism by Alina Kastner read by Melanie Carey

The legendary game full of pretty girls: Magical Explorer! Getting transported into your favorite harem romance game is the dream, right? But when one poor guy is cast as the main character’s BEST FRIEND, it’s more of a living nightmare! After all, living as Kousuke Takioto means watching his best friend win over all the girls—and getting none for himself. That’s how the script goes, anyway. But if he uses his full knowledge of the game to his advantage, maybe there’s still a chance! A chance to turn his nightmare into his own private paradise...

Podcast: Project Ideas, Reading Reduction & Tips, Theory Skepticism (Conference Call 9/10)

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